When Camelot Calls
by LizardBeth96
Summary: Sarah is just like any other 21st century teenage girl. But when she suddenly finds herself in Camelot, everything changes. What will she do when danger seems to lurk around every corner, just waiting for her? Secrets are revealed, and strengths are tested. But can all of this possible end well for her?
1. Chapter 1

"Sarah, come away from there. You'll catch a cold", my mother scolds. I had been hanging my head out of one of the open windows of our new 'house'. Which really wasn't the term for is. 'Castle' or 'palace' would suit it better. She decided she wanted me to spend the rest of my childhood somewhere magical, so we packed our bags and moved to this place, which my dad had inherited from my grandparents after they died a few months ago. The thing was, I wasn't a child anymore. No teenager wanted to leave their life behind just to move to some castle in another country. The only thing keeping me from throwing a huge fit about it was a fascination with the history here.

I backed away from the window to appease her and fingered through some books. "I'm going to go explore", I say, getting bored. mom nods absent-mindedly, staring at a painting of a man in armor. The estate still had a lot of the original furniture, so there were lots of interesting things to catch your eye.

Wondering down the endless hallways was an eery experience with all of its stone archways and cool air. This place looked like it belonged in a horror movie about vampires or ghosts. I kept expecting someone to jump out at me and yell "BOO!"

My own room was enormous, with a canopied bed with beautifully carved posts. A cushioned bench sat right next to the window, perfect for daydreaming or reading. But my favorite part was the adjoined library. It looked fit for royalty, and probably was at one time. Just walking inside this place seemed to transport you back in time.

Beautiful tapestries decorated the halls, making them feel somewhat more welcoming, if that was even possible. While it was definitely beautiful, it felt more like a museum than a home. We weren't the only people living here. The place came with Gretel the cook, Henry the groundskeeper, and Abigail the housekeeper. I found it strange, seeing as my dad and I usually took care of any repair jobs and mom and I cooked back home. I liked to do things myself, but I also didn't want to put these people out of a job.

I came to a dead end. The wall was covered by a painting of the castle in it's glory days. Red banners hung over its walls and knights guarded the gate. It was so beautiful it almost looked real. Under the painting was a wooden table with a sword laid atop of it. The hilt was lavishly decorated with inscriptions and jewels.

Ignoring Henry's earlier threat about touching artifacts, I reach forward to touch the blade. The second my fingers touch it, white hot heat spreads through my fingertips. I yelp and yank my hand back, cradling it against my stomach and hurrying to the nearest bathroom to run it under cold water.

What the heck was that? I quickly turn on the cold water in the bathroom sink and plunge my hand under it, getting instant relief. When I shut off the water and examine my fingers, not a mark is on them. How could a burn like that come from a sword just lying on a table? It made no sense. Maybe I was just imagining things. It was probably just jet lag. The flight from the US east coast to London was exhausting, not to mention the three hour drive after that.

When I get back to my room, I curl up with a blanket on my window seat since I wasn't tired enough to sleep, and tried to forget about the strange sword. I stared out the window and into the forest until I hear the dinner bell ring. Throwing my blanket aside, I make my way down to the dining room, not an easy task seeing as it seemed like a maze to get to the main floor.

Gretel had made us a big turkey dinner as a welcome. She even brought out gold trimmed dishes for am extra touch. The long table only had two settings, for mom and I. I wondered were everyone else would be eating, but thought it would be rude to ask. Dad was still in the states wrapping up his old job, so he wouldn't be here for another few weeks.

"Thank you, Gretel!", mom chirps happily to the burly woman before she leaves the room. Unlike me, she loved not having to cook every night for a change. The food was great, but I wasn't really hungry so I ended up just pushing my mashed potatoes around my plate and listened to moms chatter about how charming the castle is.

After dinner, mom insisted we explore together even though I had already done so on my own. All I wanted to do was read a book in my room and unpack, but she wasn't having any of it. My mother never really understood personal space.

She dragged me up to an upper level and pulled me over to a painting of a young girl, probably about my age. "Couldn't she be your twin?!", she exclaims. "I found it earlier when Abigail gave me a tour."

I look at the painting. There might be some resemblance, but not much. "I don't see it."

She crosses her arms in a look of mock defiance. "You have the exact same eyes! And look at the shape of her face. You're so similar. How can you _not_ see it?"

"Okay mom. Whatever. She sorta looks like me. Can I go back to my room now?", I ask. She huffs with an annoyed look on her face, like I should be enjoying mother-daughter bonding time, but lets me go Anyway. When I get back to the room, I turn on the shower and shrug off my jacket. Coo,l damp air hits my bare arms. Then I notice something black on my right arm. I hurry to the mirror finding a symbol printed on my arm.

How did that get there? I try to scrub it off in the shower, but it wouldn't even fade. Looking closer, you could definitely tell it wasn't ink or one of those temporary tattoos kids got. It was _burned _into my skin. "Holy crap", I whisper to myself. If mom saw it I was as good as dead. She'd probably think I had gone and gotten a tattoo.

I get dressed in my pajamas and try to find some make up remover. After finding some, I wet a cloth with a generous amount and scrub at it until my skin is practically raw. It does absolutely nothing. Frustrated, I throw the rag I was using at the mirror. I trace the rune, or at least that's was I guessed it was, with my fingers. The intricate design curled over my upper arm, making me feel like a branded cow.

Suddenly it started burning. I cry out and clutch my arm tightly. The pain is too much, and I crumple to the floor, gasping for breath between screams. Yet I don't hit the floor. I feel as if I fell right through it.

I land roughly, taking most of my weight on my arm. I moan in pain and roll onto my back. A blinding light shines in my face, brighter then the lamps in my room had been. When I open my eyes I didn't see my ceiling as expected. I saw a forest, thick with trees and plants. My eyes widen in shock as I sit up, still grasping my arm.

"Holy crap. This is _not _my room."


	2. Chapter 2

My head pounded like a little drummer lived inside of it. The aching in my arm had dulled a bit, but the memory of it was enough to make me cringe. My comfy pajama pants and tank top were gone, and in their place was an olive colored gown and matching cloak, like you see in medieval movies. Even my feet, which were bare only minutes ago, now wore a pair of brown, well-worn leather boots that hugged my calves and laced up the front. At least my hair elastic was still on my wrist. I yank it off and use it to tie back my still wet hair in a pony tail.

This couldn't get any stranger. I was about ready to hyperventilate from shock. I curled up on the forest floor, hugging my knees to my chest and burying my face in them. I would just stay put. That's what you're supposed to do when you're lost, right?

How was this happening, much less possible? The air was frigid, and for once I was thankful for the strange new clothes.

"There's one over there!", yells a voice in the distance. My eyes snap up, seeing a group of men with horses stampeding towards me. Something told me they weren't friendly. I scramble to my feet, picking up my skirts and taking off running as fast as I could. Even if they were friendly, I really didn't want to take the chance of finding out. The whine of metal sliding from sheaths sounds behind me along with the thunder of hooves hitting the ground. I wouldn't be able to outrun them for long, and they were armed. Terror seems to take over all of my instincts.

Shouts of "fresh meat", "she'll be a pretty penny", and "after her" follow me as I run.

I spot a tree that was tall enough, and looked to have sturdy branches. If I couldn't outrun them or fight them off, my only option was to hide or get somewhere they couldn't follow me. Even with the heavy skirts, I climbed quickly. It had been a hobby of mine to climb the trees in my yard as high as I could just to scare my mother as a kid. I was happy I hadn't lost my touch.

By the time the men got the the base of the tree, I was a good 30 feet up and still climbing. I panted with the effort, finally coming to sit on a branch. I notice a group of people bound together being pulled along behind several of the horses. They looked dirty and starving. Most of them were dressed in rags and some didn't even have shoes.

"Where did she go?", one of them shouts.

"I saw her go this way.", says another. I hold my breath, trying to hide among the leaves. With it being this cold, I was surprised they hadn't all fallen to the ground yet. And they hadn't see me climbing. I still had a chance to get away.

"Well, find her! She looked young and the master is getting sick of the old hags you lot have been bringing him.", snaps another, who was obviously the leader. "I'm not taking the fall for you laziness, again."

Oh my gosh. They were slave traders. What kind of place was this? I gripped the branch I was sitting on tightly, willing myself to stay still. Suddenly it cracked under my weight, sending me tumbling towards the ground. I shriek, flailing out in search of something to grab onto to stop my fall. I land on my stomach, hard, on a thicker limb. I gasp for air, having it been knocked painfully from my lungs on impact.

Malicious laughter bellows below me. While I had only fallen a little more than ten feet, the noise had defiantly given me away. "Hello darling! Aren't you a clever one!", the leader grins. "Why don't you climb down from there so me can chat."

"Over my dead body.", I rasp out. My voice breaks from lack of air, making me sound less intimidating then I hoped. At least I was sure my scowl conveyed the message.

The guy just shrugs. "I'm afraid that is not an option for you, sweetheart. Your more use to me alive." He signals to his men, and two of them start climbing up after me. I try climbing up again, but I'm too exhausted and sore to even find a foothold. They catch up with me quickly, one of them seizes my ankle and drags me down. I cling to a branch, trying to avoid being pulled down but it was in vain. He catches me around my waist and drags me to the ground as if I weighed no more than a child.

"No!", I shriek. "Let go of me!" I thrash against them, screaming at the top of my lungs, which wasn't very loud seeing as my breath still escaped me. I manage to hit one of my captors, an older man with a harsh face, in the nose. He releases my arm and doubles over, clutching his face. Blood runs quickly from it in a red stream.

The mans eyes burn with rage. "You little-"

"Enough!", shouts the leader, cutting him off. "Tie her hands and gag her mouth. And hold onto her, for god's sake! She's more trouble than I thought she would be."

"Whatever you say, Horace", says the bloodied man mockingly. Horace sneered at him but walked away. Without another word, the man restraining me takes my cloak from me and binds my hands behind me with a rough rope. A foul smelling rag is stuffed in my mouth, silencing any more of my protests.

The man with the now bloody nose stared at me with a murderous glare. I squirmed under his gaze, wanting for him to go away.

I'm lifted up on to a horse and placed in front of a rider, who uses one arm to hold onto me tightly and the other to hold the reigns. His chest shakes as he laughes at me.

"Unhand the lady." Growls a new voice. Swords are drawn, and arrows aimed towards the source of it. This was a nightmare. A small group of men in armor had come into the area unnoticed. The man who spoke looked to be younger than the others with him, but with an arrogance in his stance that went unmatched by the others.

The hold on me only tightened, which hurt my arms behind me. The horse stamps its feet nervously. "Watch your mouth, sir.", Horace snarls. "The girl is no concern of yours."

The other man glares. "Any defenseless subject of the kingdom of Camelot is my concern. Let them go and leave in peace, and we shall not slaughter you."

Did he say _Camelot? _As in the actual Camelot? Like the stories? I felt like I was the star of my own personal medieval drama. This was _so_ not happening. I must be dreaming, and who would blame me for a dream like this after moving into my grandparents castle? It was the only explanation I could think of.

Horace laughs and draws his own sword. "It is not I who shall be slaughtered."

The two cross blades. The clanging of metal on metal fills the air. The horse I was sitting on suddenly from collapses under me. I tried to scream as we went down, but it's muffled by the gag in my mouth. The man restraining me goes limp and I go rolling to the ground. He was dead. blood flowed from an arrow wound buried in his back. I shriek inaudibly in horror. I calm down slightly, noticing a knife hanging from his belt. I ignore my aversion to blood and back up to it, staying low to the ground and trying to see over my shoulder. Finally my hand finds the handle and lift it from its sheath. I position the blade carefully and slice through my bonds. Once my hands are free I rip the gag from my mouth.

I crawl over to where other prisoners were bound. Their guards were to busy fighting off the new comers to notice me cutting them loose. "Thank you, child", says a woman. She grasps my hand firmly. "What is your name?"

"Sarah."

"Well then, Sarah, we owe you our thanks. We must leave now if we hope to make it away unnoticed. We shall not forget your kindness.", she smiles and turns to flee into the trees.

I catch her hand. "Where are you going?"

"We do not belong here, Sarah. Our people are far from this land. Keep safe my dear.", She makes a gesture, pressing two fingers to her mouth and then touching my forehead. The rest of the men and women with her do the same, muttering words of thanks and blessing. I don't try to stop them from leaving. In fact, I almost wanted to go with them. But something was telling me to stay here.

Out of nowhere, a pair of hands grab me by the shoulders and drag me backwards to the ground. An arrow whizzes over my head and lodges in a tree behind where I had been standing. It would have killed me. Can you even die in a dream? I look over to see the person who had saved me. A young man, probably a few years older than me, lay next to me in the dirt breathing heavily. He didn't look like he could defend himself any more than I could.

"Thanks."

He nods. "Not a problem." Another arrow is shot in our direction. "We should probably move."

I nod. "That sounds like a good idea." We crawl away, and once we're out of the immediate line of fire, he drags me to my feet and pulls me behind a fallen log. We stay put until the sounds of battle are silenced.

"Merlin! Where are you?!"

The boy next me me groans in a exaggerated fashion and gets to his feet. "Come on then.", he says, offering me a hand. He helps me up, noticing something on my shoulder. "You're hurt."

I had been so pumped up on adrenaline I hadn't even noticed my left shoulder was bleeding. The rest of the men that aided in the attack all walked over to where the two of us had been hiding. The boy, who must be Merlin, was searching for something in his pack. Finding a roll of bandages he makes me sit down to examine my injury.

"Thank you", I say. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't showed up." I wince as Merlin starts wrapping my injury tightly.

"Arthur, she got grazed by an arrow. I can patch it up for now, but I don't have proper supplies. If we don't get her to Gaius soon it'll get infected.", says, talking so someone else.

A blonde man nods. He was the one who lead the fight, and by the way the others regarded him he was quite obviously superior to the others. He kneels besides me. "My name is Arthur. We're going to take care of you now. Do you think you can walk?"

I raise an eyebrow. Arthur and Merlin? Like the _actual _Arthur and Merlin? If this was a dream, my imagination was going all out. "I'm Sarah. And yes, i'm perfectly fine."

From the look on his face, he didn't quite believe me, but I stood up without assistance anyway. I swayed for a moment, feeling slightly nauseous and dizzy. That was all the incentive Arthur needed as he took my uninjured arm and helps me to a horse.

"I'd give you Merlin's horse, but you're in no condition to ride on your own." Normally, I would have protested, but I really wasn't feeling too well. And besides, I had no idea how to ride a horse. The only horse I had ever been on before today had a pole going through its back and only went in circles. Arthur put me in front of him, taking no chance of me falling off.

"Back to the city!", he yelled at his men. I just tried to not pass out.


	3. Chapter 3

I fought sleep the entire way back to the city. My shoulder was numbed from the cold with my cloak gone. Eventually the rocking of the horse lulled me to sleep. Before I know it i'm woken by Arthur pulling me to the ground. He steadies me, making sure I wouldn't fall over before he lets me stand on my own.

"Lady Sarah! Thank the heavens you're safe!", says an aghast voice behind me. I turn to see Henry, the groundskeeper. From back in the real world. He looked strange, dressed in a tunic, tight pants, and knee-high leather boots. You could tell they were of the best quality, and horribly enough the color of them matched my own clothes. He removes his own cloak and carefully places it around me.

"Henry? What are you doing here?", I ask, completely stunned with his appearance.

Arthur interrupts. "You know her?"

Henry only seems to take notice of him then, tearing his eyes from me. He gives him a stiff bow. "I apologize for my rudeness your highness. I was just simply overcome with happiness that my niece is alive and safe. You see, I lost her to a lot of slave traders on the road here, and was afraid I would never see her again. I can not thank you enough, good Sir's, for bringing her back to me." His niece? What was wrong with him? I'd only met the man once and all he did was give me a stern lecture about not touching anything that I didn't bring with me.

He winks at me, as if telling me to play along. I really didn't want to but my only other alternative was to look completely insane. "Yes, it was quite horrible. I never thought I'd see my dear _uncle _again.", I say, putting a bit of emphases on the word 'uncle'.

"I'm sorry to break up the reunion.", Merlin interrupts. "But we should get Sarah to Gaius and then let her rest."

"A fine idea.", Arthur says, but he shoots a glare at Merlin anyways. "Lord Talbot, I do hope you will be comfortable here. Let me know if there is anything I can do for either of you." It took all I could not to glare at Henry. Now he was taking my last name?

Before I can say anything else, Merlin and Henry drag me away to another part of the castle. We end up in a cute little room with laundry and herbs hanging to dry on cotton strings criss- crossing the room. Merlin has me sit on a cot next to the fire and goes off to find Gaius. I give Henry's cloak back to him, now warmed by the flames.

I notice him sulking in a corner. "You had to go and touch it, didn't you?", he seethes with sudden anger. "You're lucky Arthur and the knights found you when they did. You could have been dead right now. Or worse with my luck."

"What are you talking about? This is all a dream."

He laughs. "Please child. I doubt your imagination is this good." Grudgingly, I knew he was right. Usually when you dream you can't smell, or feel the wind against your face. And your mind simply doesn't notice those things. "And thanks to _you_ we're both stuck here. Every time you bloody Talbot's go snooping around the blasted castle, you find the sword and get sent here. None of you care that my life is tied to that wretched thing. And every time one of you come here, so do I! But no! No one listens the poor old Henry. At least i'm not a commoner this time. That was awful.", he grumbles. My mouth drops open.

"Wait a second. Do you mean that sword brought me here? I wasn't anywhere near it when I got dumped here."

He rolls his eyes. "You don't need to be. One of you Talbot's touch it, you get marked. You get the mark wet, you end up here. Or at least that's what I've figured out."

"Well, there's our answer then. We get it wet again and go home."

Henry scowls impatiently. "You think I haven't tried that before? This isn't my first walk in the park, sweetheart. And you aren't the first idiotic kid who just so happens to ignore my warnings and send me here _again_."

This was not happening. From what Henry was saying, I wasn't going home. I was stuck here to be "Lord Henry's" niece for the rest of my life. It was all I could do to not cry right then and there. "Well you obviously get back some how.", I point out after thinking for a moment. He wouldn't have been back at home if he didn't.

He looks a bit angry. "Yeah. Not until you die. You're stuck with me as a guardian for the rest of your miserable life." Before I can respond, Merlin returns with a short old man. He looked kindly, like a grandfather who would make you sit on his lap, no matter how old you were, and tell you stories of his glory days.

"Gaius, this is Sarah Talbot, Lord Talbot's charge and niece."

Gaius give Henry a curt nod before examining my bandages. "You did a good job wrapping these Merlin. I'm surprised you remembered how.", he teases. Merlin grins. These two obviously had a very teasing relationship.

I grip the side of the cot as Gaius begins to unwrap the cloth. The sting of the gash had come back with a vengeance, though it was nothing compared to the sting the mark gave me. I refused to look at the bloodstained fabric as he handed it to Merlin.

"I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to remove your dress to your shift so I can get a better look. Lord Talbot, if you would step outside I can assure you she is in capable hands.", he announces. Henry nods, giving me a look of fake worry before leaving the room.

Hooks held the dress together in the back, which I painfully tried to reach. With a reddened face, Gaius takes pity on me assists me in unhooking them. Under my dress was a simple, shapeless, white shift. I roll up my sleeve so he could tend to it.

Gaius makes quick work of cleaning the cut. When he is finished he applies a slave which numbs my skin. I see him pulling out a needle and thread and about gag. Normally I would have thrown a huge fit about getting stitches, but at the moment I was too tired to care. He gives me apple slices to eat as he works. It doesn't hurt much, and as long as I didn't watch I was fine.

Then he notices the black mark on my arm. His eyes widen in surprise "Child, what is that?"

"Nothing", I say as I cover it with my hand defensively.

"Sarah, that mark is of strong magic I have not seen in years. I am sure I do not have to tell you the consequences if someone sees that on you."

What was he talking about? All the stories I'd heard and read about magic was a big part of Camelot. Now there were consequences to using it? "I don't know what you mean."

"I mean, if anyone see's that mark you would be executed on the spot, at least while you're under Uther's roof."

His words send chills up my spine. They would kill you for magic? I nod to show I understand. A knock interrupts our nice little 'chat', and Gaius goes to answer it after giving me a blanket to wrap around myself and to cover the mark. A girl, probably a servant, stood with a bundle of clothes in her arms.

"These are for the Lady Sarah. When you're finished Uther wishes for me to show her to her room."

"Thank you Gwen." Gaius takes them from her, promises to send me out once he's finished with me and shuts the door. This dress was a grey color, and was much more elaborate than than the olive colored one I had on earlier. Sadly it was beyond repair in the arm.

Luckily, there was no hooks on this dress. Unluckily, it slipped over my head. Lifting my arm to put it on was incredibly painful. By the time I had it on my face was sticky from sweat. I had a new shift as well. Gaius gives me a tea to ease the pain and helps me to the door. "Come back tomorrow so I can change the bandages. And to discuss that mark further. Show no one and be careful."

I nod, and step outside. Henry had gone, but the servant girl who had brought me new clothes stood outside. She smiles warmly at me and curtseys. "You must be Lady Sarah. I'm Gwen."

I smile back. "Please, there's no need for that. And thank you for the gown. It's lovely."

It had really taken me no time at all to become used to the way people spoke here. To forget slang and words that were common back home. But if what Henry said was true, I was stuck here. And I would have to accept my new life.

She nods. "I am to be your servant while you are here. I hope you'll enjoy your stay. Would you like to see your room?"

"Yes, thank you. I'm sure I will. It's very beautiful here."

She leads me down a corridor by a courtyard. "It is."

My room was at the end of a hall of many guest quarters. It's window had a view of the entire town. Smoke rises from chimneys in the distance in the waning light. It was very simaler to my room at home. I thought of my mother. What would she do when she found me missing, no where to be found?

I remain silent as Gwen helps me get ready for bed. When she is finished with me, she wishes me goodnight and leaves. I burrow under my quilts, finally allowing myself to relax. Tears rolled mercilessly down my cheeks. All I wanted to do was go home. To be gone from this place.

** TheImpossiblePen- Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it! :)**

**Thank you to everyone that added my story to their alerts! **


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning was absolutely dreary. Rain poured down relentlessly, the sky darkened with grey clouds. Gwen came in bright and early to draw a bath for me. I refused to let her help me undress, remembering Gaius's warning. I didn't know who I could trust. The soap stung the cut, but it didn't hurt nearly as bad as it had yesterday.

After painfully dressing myself in my shift, Gwen helped me into the same dress she brought me last night. My boots were still in good shape, but Gwen gave me a finer pair to wear with more embellishments, which apparently were more suited to life in the castle court. I didn't even argue with her when she insisted on fixing my hair for me. It was a mess I didn't feel like dealing with.

She also brought me my first real meal since I got here. While it was only fruit and cheese, it was filling and delicious. To be honest, I could have eaten anything at the moment.

"Is there anything else I can get for you?", She asks.

"No. Thank you though." She nods and excuses herself. I sigh and sit on the foot of the bed. Letting someone do things for me like Gwen did was completely foreign to me. And I didn't like it. She had even insisted on making my bed for me.

Before long Henry comes to see me. I figured he would after our conversation last night. Being in the same room alone made me some-what nervous after what he said last night. If he couldn't get back home until I died, all he would have to do was kill me. But would the man really resort to murder? He did seem rather hateful of my fathers family. And of me.

"Don't you look spiffy", he comments on my appearance. I ignore him.

"What do you want?"

He fakes being offended. "What a way to greet your uncle! You were raised better than to be so rude. But if you must know, we need to get our stories straight so you don't mess up and make a complete imbecile of yourself or worse, me."

"I love how you have complete faith in me.", I mumble and let him in. As much as I didn't like it, Henry was the one person who understood what I was going through and who I could talk to about it. Even if he was a jerk.

"And don't you forget it. So let's cover the basics: You are Lady Sarah Nicolette Talbot-"

"I know my own name, Henry", I cut him off, annoyed. "And it's Nicole, not Nicolette."

He rolls his eyes and continues. "Not anymore. Nicole is too common of a name for a lady of your station." He pauses, as if trying to remember something. "Where was I... Oh yes! Your mother died of an unknown sickness five years ago, magic is suspected, and your father killed in battle last year. Bloody fight that was. You were left in my capable care-"

"Wow, my life here is depressing." I don't think his glare could have radiated more anger than it did.

"Stop interrupting! It's very rude! Now, you have me as your regent until you come of age for the throne."

Did he just say throne? As in an actual throne that came along with being a ruler? "What do you mean come of age for the throne?"

He grins as if it was the best news in the world. "Didn't anyone tell you? You're next in line to rule over the good people of Tahara. It's a lovely kingdom, you'll love it! lots of friendly peasants who adore you."

I wanted to punch him. Hard. I didn't even want to come here, much less become a _queen. _"Please tell me your joking."

"I'm afraid not. And did I mention you have to be married before your twenty-first birthday or you forfeit the thrown to me? Trust me, I don't want it, so you _will_ be married by then even if I have to arrange it myself." It was too much. I sat down and drowned out Henry's insistent chatter about my new life here.

"Oh, and we need to teach you how to dance.", he babbles on.

"I can't do this." I say. Henry stops talking, looking confused.

"What did you say?"

"I can't do this!", I repeat and storm from the room, leaving a stunned Henry behind. He didn't follow me. I didn't pay attention to where I was going, fighting back tears the entire way. I didn't want this. Any of it. And it all just seemed to pile one top of me. It made sense though. My dad inherited a freaking castle. Obviously it came from somewhere. But now I had to be married in less than five years?

Finally I couldn't keep going. I collapsed in a quiet corner that seemed unoccupied. I choked back sobs, trying to be quiet. In a single day everything I had was stripped away from me. That saying, 'you don't know what you have until it's gone', was never more true to me. And then to have Henry spring all the rest of this on me. This wasn't my life and I didn't want anything to do with it. I didn't belong here. It wasn't fair.

"Sarah?"

Great. Just what I needed. Would I ever be left alone? Merlin stood wearily, leaned against a wall. I wiped away my tears and tried to look a bit less miserable as I stood. "Yes?"

"Gaius sent me to look for you. He says you need your bandages changed."

"Right. Of course. I'll be right there."

He nods and turns to leave, but hesitates. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Thank you, Merlin."

He doesn't really look like he believes me, but doesn't question or push me for answers to why I'd be crying in a deserted hallway either. I had never felt more pathetic.

Gaius was waiting for me when Merlin and I arrived, bandages and more salve were ready next to the cot I sat on last night. Nobody spoke as Gaius changed the bandages. After he was finished, Merlin finally broke the silence.

"Sarah, how did you get that mark?" There it was. I knew the topic would be brought up somehow, and apparently Gaius let Merlin in on it.

"That's none of your business.", I snap.

"I can help you, you know. You're not the only one with magic.", he says, completely unphased by my rude reply. Suddenly his eyes glowed like fire, and a book from a shelf on the other side of the room flies into his waiting hand. It didn't really surprise me all that much. I remember stories of Merlin being an old man with great power. Something must happen to make magic legal, and my guess is that Merlin has something to do with it. Perhaps after Arthur becomes king.

"Holy cow."

Merlin looks confused. "Why would a cow be holy?"

I couldn't help but grin. I hadn't thought that would be such a strange phrase here "it's just a figure of speech"

He shrugs. "Well it's a dumb one. No offence, but I always thought Taharan's were strange."

Gaius snatches the book from Merlin's hands and slaps him upside the head with it. "Sorry", Merlin mumbles. "So what's that mark mean anyway? I've never seen anything like it."

I try not to groan. That stupid rune was the reason I was in this mess, and I really didn't want to talk about it. "I'm not sure. It just showed up one day. It seems harmless enough." I wasn't lying, but I wasn't going to tell the whole truth either. Gaius and Merlin seemed nice, but could I really trust them with a secret so big?

"How peculiar.", Gaius mumbles. He pulls out a piece of paper, on which he had drawn the mark. I hadn't thought he had gotten that well of a look to replicate it, but it was a perfect copy. "It isn't in any language I've studied. I'll study some more just to make sure. But if there is anything you can tell me about it, it might help me a great deal."

"I don't know anything else. And I don't have any magic that I know of."

Gaius nods. "Well, keep that hidden. There's no telling what Uther would do if he thought you were practicing magic."

"I will. Thank you Gaius." I get up to leave.

"And Lady Sarah, please let me know if you start feeling strange or anything happens with that mark. If you can't find me, go to Merlin."

I nod in answer and leave the room, finding a very angry Henry waiting outside the door. I was surprised at how quickly it took him to find me. "Where have you been?! Don't you dare behave like that again, do you hear me? Anything could have happened to you! Something might have happened, and you would be dead by now.", he seethes.

I smirk up at him. "I'm glad to hear you care for my well being Uncle Henry."

That didn't seem to sit well with him. "Of course I do! If you don't die of a natural cause, then _I'm_ stuck here for the rest of my life for failing guardianship! This might be the best gig I've gotten so far, but that doesn't mean I want to stay here." Well, at least I didn't have to worry about that anymore.

He grumbles complaints all the way back up to my room. "Don't leave this room unaccompanied. I'll send up your servant so she can help you get ready."

"Get ready for what?"

"Did I forget to tell you? Well, I might have gotten around to it if you hadn't stormed off like a child! King Uther is throwing a ball in your honor tonight. And you had better be on your best behavior, or you'll have me to answer to."


	5. Chapter 5

To say the least, getting ready for the ball was practically torcher. Gwen forced me into heels and tugged on my hair for over an hour before she deemed it finished. It was intricately done with braids and curls. Emerald gems to match my dress woven into it, glittering whenever I moved my head. I didn't have the heart to ask whether they were real or not. They probably were, knowing they were sent by Henry, whom was having way too much fun flaunting his newly found richness. He was getting more and more arrogant as the hours went on. Becoming more frivolous. And more annoying.

My dress had the same gems stitched onto it as well. Silver embroidery covered the hem of the emerald fabric. The sleeves belled out from my elbow, cascading nearly to the floor. I personally thought the sleeves were a bit much, especially since I kept tripping on them. I was a klutz on my own, much less giving me things to avoid tripping on all night.

Gwen claps her hands together and drags me to the mirror excitedly. "You look stunning! You're only missing one thing." She pulls out a piece of silver, it sparkled with yet more gems. At first I though it was a necklace, but then she places it on top of my head. It drapes across my forehead and pins under my hair, hiding the ends under curls. It was a circlet, the medieval version of a crown, marking my new place as 'princess'.

"It's beautiful Gwen. You're too kind, really.", I say. Henry probably wanted me to wear it as a symbol of my royalty.

She smiles waves her hand dismissively. "It's my job. Besides, that was a gift from an admirer. It would be a shame not to wear it."

I look at her, puzzled. If it wasn't from Henry then who? "Who sent it?"

"Why, I don't know. You could have caught anyone's eyes. Maybe he'll reveal himself at the ball tonight. Wouldn't that be romantic?"

"I suppose it would be.", I say, even though I didn't care for romance at all. I even avoided going to see Nicholas Sparks movies with my mom. Suddenly I didn't want to wear the piece of jewelry. It could give to giver the wrong idea. But I also couldn't have Gwen wondering why I wouldn't wear it. She'd probably think me rude.

"I had better head down before Henry sends someone looking." She nods, opening the door for me. My footsteps echoed down the hall, and I could only hope I looked graceful. I had a feeling I didn't.

Walking through the doors to the hall was almost as terrifying as nearly being kidnapped. All the guests, including King Uther and Arthur stood to their feet applauding me. I guess now was a bad time to admit to stage fright. My cheeks burned red with all eyes looking at me. At least I wasn't required to make a speech or anything. Then I would really would have been screwed.

Henry beamed at me, taking my arm and guiding me to the head table. "You look lovely."

I ignore him. Uther reaches out and grasps both of my hands in his own, pressing his lips to them in a gentlemanly manner. "How are you feeling my dear?"

"Much better, thank you.", I smile. I could be a rather good actress when I wanted to be. Henry must be proud.

"I am glad. Please, enjoy the festivities! Now is a time to rejoice in your safe return!" I smile again, and go to sit in my indicated seat besides Henry when Uther stops me. "Why don't you sit next to Arthur tonight? I am sure you don't want to be caught in the middle of two old men's conversation."

I nod, and take the seat next to Arthur, trying not to scowl at Henry. I knew exactly what those two were up to, and it couldn't lead anywhere good for me. "How is your arm?", He asks.

"Sore. But it could be worse."

"Merlin told me how you risked your safety to free the others held captive. That was very brave of you.", He tells me, sounding completely sincere.

"Anyone else would have done the same."

He shakes his head. "No, not anyone. Especially not a girl."

I raise an eyebrow. "What is that supposed to mean? A girl can't risk her own life to rescue others? She should just sit back and let others die as she waits to be saved by a man instead?"

Arthur grins. "Perhaps not every girl, but one of your station shouldn't be putting herself in danger. You're the only heir to your kingdom."

My mouth practically drops open. "Then what is the difference of you putting yourself in danger? Are you not the only heir of Camelot?" His mouth tightens in frustrated, but I wasn't willing to give up my views on this. I remembered the look of the womans face, so grateful and scared. I refused to be a damsel in distress like in the stories. If that was what was expected of me, people were in for a rude awakening.

"That is different.", he says.

"I think not."

Music interrupts his response, and he looks happy for it. "Would you like to dance?", he says quickly. I can't help but smirk, feeling a small victory in his unwilling to continue our argument. He stands up and offers his hand to me. I take it, and follow him to the floor where many couples were now dancing. Luckily, it was a simple dance that Henry taught me earlier. I wouldn't look like too much of a klutz.

We stand in lines across from each other. The women curtsey and the men bow before coming together. Arthur places one hand on my waist, taking my left hand in his carefully. He remembered it was my injured arm.

We silently spin around, following the same steps as everyone else. Arthur moves with suprising grace I hadn't expected.

"May I cut in, your Highness?"

A man asks from behind me. Arthur seems all too happy to be rid of me, and to honest I didn't want to be around him much longer either. "Of course." He releases me and walks off.

The man bows, lowering his head in such a way that I can't see his face, before taking up the proper position. "I must say, you are the most beautiful lady here your Highness.", He whispers in my ear.

He stays uncomfortably close to me, standing in such a way I still can not see his face. I freeze, unwilling to move from my spot. "Who are you? Let me see your face."

"I must admit, Princess, we have met before."

His voice. I recognized it. I try to pull away, but he just pulls me closer to him. "And we shall meet again. And you shall pay a price I have waited for."  
He pulls away from me, and only then I can see his face. His nose was bent at an awkward angle and he had a nasty grin on his face. He flees from the hall, pulling to hood of his cloak over his head.

Suddenly Arthur was behind me. "Did you know him? He seemed very familiar to you.", He asks. Implications in the tone of his voice implied whether or not I knew him in another way. Romantically. Gross. The guy was old.

"No. But the last time I saw him I punched his nose in."

**Sorry It's a bit short, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway! Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed, and to my reviewer! You guys are great! It really makes my day to see a new review or follower!**


	6. Chapter 6

"And you're sure it was him?", Arthur demands.

"Yes!", I say indignantly, sick of him questioning me. I could recognize that particular slave trader jerk anywhere. "He nearly took my head off when I hit him."

He nods and walks off to tell Uther. After a minute all the knights and guards in the room run out. Arthur comes back and seizes my wrist with one hand, and holds the hilt of his sheathed sword with the other and pulls me from the hall. The ball was pretty obviously over for good now. "Where are we going?"

"You're staying in the safest part of the castle. With me."

"How incredibly humble of you." He scowls, but ignores my comment.

We turn down a hallway and my hand flies to my mouth in shock. I want to throw up. The coppery smell of blood fills the air, making me gag. Three men lie dead, slumped on the floor. My feet feel as if they were cemented to the floor. I was horrified at the sight, by couldn't tear my eyes away from it at the same time. Those men were so young. They probably had families, maybe even wives and children. And now they were gone.

Arthur swears loudly and has to practically drag me in the opposite direction. I was glad to get away from the sight, but my heart broke for the poor men. My feet were terribly sore, and it was all I could do not to trip as Arther pulled me along. I was really beginning to resent Gwen for forcing me to wear these heels.

I hear a click that Arthur doesn't seem to notice as we come up to a fork in the corridor. "Watch out!", I yell as I pull him back behind the wall instinctively. An arrow whizzes past in front of us.

He looks at me as if he had seen a ghost. "How did you know that was coming?", He whispers, not daring to talk louder in case of being sighted.

"I heard it notch. Now can we get out of here before either of us gets killed?", I whisper back. He doesn't argue with me, and we run down a maze of hallways. My shoulder shrieks in pain from the exertion, but I ignore it. I eventually give up on trying to remember where we're going, and blindly follow Arthur though countless changes of direction. This place was practically a labyrinth.

"Where did everyone go?", I ask. Everyone seemed to have disappeared. All the knights, guards... There wasn't a single soul in sight.

"That would be a good point." We continue on in silence, which wasn't any more comforting.

"Why are we just wandering around?", I finally ask, much to Arthur's annoyance.

"Because my father ordered me to protect you, and I want to find that scum and figure out how he got in the castle in the first place."

"That's a great reason to go hunting someone with a long-range weapon who is apparently very good at hiding.", I point out.

"Nobody asked for your opinion, Sarah."

"Well I'm giving it anyways."

"You are entirely infuriating!", he complains. He obviously wasn't used to someone disagreeing with his judgement, much less arguing with him about it. Well, I was going to knock him off of his high horse. Someone had to.

I roll my eyes. "Like you're any better."

"What is that supposed to mean?", He demands, letting go of my wrist and turning around to face me. He obviously wasn't used to being talked to the way I had. He towered over me, and some girls might find his height intimidating. But not me. I stood my ground and looked up at him defiantly.

"It _means_ you are a spoiled, cocky, royal prat."

His brow knits together, his face turning slightly red. "And what does that make you?"

I roll my eyes. I was nothing like him. Nothing. "I didn't grow up with people waiting on me hand and foot. I actually learned how to do things on my own, and without treating the people around me like their all idiots! Tell me, can you even get dressed on your own?"

"At least _I'm _not the one constantly asking questions!" He meant to yell at me some more but he notices something behind me. "Get back here, Merlin."

I turn and find Merlin sheepishly comes out of hiding from behind a pillar. "Hello. I wasn't eavesdropping, I swear."

"Whatever Merlin. Would you _please _take Sarah back to her room, and lock her in until the intruder is taken care off. We wouldn't want anything happening to the little princess, now would we?", he demands, not even asking. I could feel my face burning at being called 'little princess'.

If looks could kill, Arthur would have dropped dead right there from the glare I was giving him. I wasn't letting him lock me up anywhere. Merlin looks just as stunned as I feet, but without the anger. "_Me?_ But that man is still out there!" My hero.

"Then stay with her. I'm not asking you to guard the door." They continued arguing terribly. I didn't think that Merlin had the guts to stand up to Arthur, but apparently I was wrong.

Suddenly a terrible pain cuts into my stomach, like a knife digging into my ribs. It felt like fire slowly burning up my belly, heat rising at a steady pace. I gasp and lean against the wall, wrapping my arms around my torso. Squeezing my eyes shut, I tried to will the pain to pass but it only became unbearably worse.

I felt dizzy and weak as my legs collapsed from under me and I slid to the floor, completely forgetting about what was going on around me. It was worse than any pain my shoulder had given me. I tried to scream, but I couldn't seem tp make a sound. Someone may as well have lit an infurno inside of me. Warm, sticky blood trickled from my nose, but I couldn't find the strength to lift my hand to wipe it away.

"Sarah? Sarah, what's wrong?", Arthur asks, all the anger gone from his voice, and instead concern takes it's place. He kneels in front of me and forces me to look at him. Black spots danced across my vision, not a good sign. The last time that happened was during blood testing for biology and I fainted on the spot. It was single most embarrassing moment of my life.

"I'm fine.", I manage to mutter, even though it was clearly not true.

He ignores me and turns to Merlin. "We need to get her to Gaius. She was fine just a minute ago, it has to be sorcery." I feel myself being lifted, and the swaying of his walking. He holds me bridal style, his hands behind my knees and back, holding my tightly to his chest. I nearly black out from the pain of being moved, but somehow manage to stay conscious. As we pass the courtyard, we notice a man fleeing on horseback. Probably the intruder. Arthur grumbles, stuck with me and unable to do anything about it.

I hated feeling helpless right now. It was as if Arthur had gotten proven right about girls simply being damsels that need rescuing all of the time. I whimpered, unable to stop myself as it seemed to get worse by the minute. The boys were practically sprinting now.

By the time we get to Gaius, I can barely move. It's a struggle to even keep my eyes open, and even then my eye lid were drooping.

Gaius fuses over me, wiping away blood from my nose and sweat from my brow, but I barely notice. Arthur gets kicked out, sent to go find Henry. After he is gone, Merlin pulls out a thick, leather bound book and flips through the pages furiously as Gaius makes me drink a foul tasting tonic. "This is very dark magic, Merlin. Whoever that man was, you can bet he was a wizard."

Merlin frowns and continues looking through his book. I practically oblivious to everything around me, only able to focus on the pain.

It could have been seconds, minutes, even days and I wouldn't have noticed by the time Merlin seems to have found what he was searching and places his hands on either side of my head, and speaking words in a language I couldn't understand. The pain from my stomach lessens, slowly fading away. And so do I, into a deep sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

"How is she?", asks a voice. It sounded as if my ears were just below the water, making it a strain to hear.

"As well as can be expected. Poor dear never knew what hit her." That sounded like Gaius. Slowly I began to remember being towed around by Arthur, bickering like two children. And the pain. The thought of it made me shiver. My eyes flutter open, finding myself back in my room, buried under several blankets. Gaius stood next to me, pressing a cool cloth to my forehead and Merlin at the foot of the bed.

"Ah, so you finally decided to join the world of the living.", Merlin jokes.

I groan and sit up, instantly regretting it. My head pounds from the sudden movement and I fall back onto my pillows again. "How long was I out?"

"Out?", Merlin asks. I had to start thinking about what I said, before I said it. Or I would just end up confusing people.

"Sleeping."

"Three days." Well, that was lovely. "It seems, my lady, that you have a great enemy.", Gaius says. I fight the urge to roll my eyes, not wanting to disrespect Gaius. No kidding!

"What happened?", I ask. All I remembered of it was pain. Nothing more.

"A curse. Set into one of the gems in your circlet. It was used as a focal point for a wizard to pour his dark magic into, and transfer it to the wearer making them become suddenly deathly ill. It is magic I have not seen since my youth."

So I had a magical enemy. And he obviously wanted me dead. This just kept getting better. "He got away, didn't he?", I ask, remembering the fleeing man on horseback. They both nod grimly.

"Uther is having troops search for him, but it is as if he disappeared.", Merlin tells me. That didn't comfort me much. He could obviously escape easily. I just wanted to go home. To wake up and realize this was only a dream. I wanted to be safe at home.

The door swings open loudly, revealing my least favorite fake uncle. Henry. "Thank God, dear girl. You gave me a heart attack!", He says, overly dramatic before turning to Gaius. "How is she?"

"Mending, My lord. But in need of rest. Don't worry, she should soon return to health."

"I slept for three days. I don't need to rest anymore.", I grumble. Only Merlin seems to hear and snickers while giving me a sympathetic look. Gaius excuses himself, and drags Merlin along with him. I was sad to see him go. Merlin was the closest thing I had to a friend here. Also, I didn't feel like being left alone with Henry. I just knew I was going to get a lecture. From the face he was giving me, I was right.

"You had me worried sick.", He says, pulling up a chair next to my bed. "How do you feel?"

I blinked in surprise. He seemed genuinely worried about me. "Fine. Just a bit sore is all."

He nods. "That man will pay, I promise you that. I've sent for your knights from Tahara. They should arrive within a few days. We set out for home in a month. You'll be safer there with your own men to guard you."

"Tahara is not my home.", I say sharply. I would never think of this place as my home. My home was with my parents. Besides I'd never even been to Tahara, much less belonged there.

"It is now sweetheart. Get used to it because it's all yours. You have an entire people to think of. A kingdom rests on your shoulders, kid."

"I never wanted any of this.", I say quietly. Was my old, boring life too much too ask for? I didn't think so. I was only sixteen. Too young to rule a country. But nobody seemed to think that here.

He shrugs. "And you think I did? It isn't too bad once you get used to it. You might even come to like it here, but whether you like it or not, you're stuck."

"How did we get into this mess anyway? Why did all of this happen?"

"An ancestor of yours pissed off a sorcerer. He cursed his sword and family. You know the rest."

He excuses himself after that, telling me to go to sleep. But there was no way I could. I throw aside my covers and carefully stand up. The dizziness passes and I go to the wardrobe, finding the simplest dress I could. What I wouldn't do for a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. I tear off the frilly night gown before realizing I hadn't needed help to do it. I stare at my bare shoulder in disbelief, no bandages and no stitches. The only hint the skin had ever been wounded as a thin scar. Merlin must have used magic on it while I was unconscious. I was just thankful I wasn't awake while the stitches were being pulled out. I'd have to remember to thank Gaius and Merlin later. They probably took a big risk to heal me with magic.

I pull the dress on. It was basic, a solid grey color with long sleeves. The neckline was embroidered in a deep purple swirling pattern, but that was the only embellishment. A belt made it fit me better.

I found my boots that I arrived in tossed aside in a corner and tugged them on over a pair of thick woolen stockings. Some have bread and water was on the table, and I downed it all. I hadn't realized how hungry I was, and I could have eaten more.

Before leaving I catch sight of myself in the mirror. My face was gaunt and pale, my hair limp and ratted, and my eyes weren't their usual bright blue. Instead they were a dark grey color. I had pretty obviously lost some weight. I looked like death.

My hair was nearly impossible to pull a comb through, but somehow I managed. They really needed to invent some sort conditioner. Gwen would probably throw a fit about it not being properly done, but I didn't really care. I quickly braided it down my back, so it would be out of my face.

I opened to door slowly, half expecting to find someone standing outside and order me back to bed. but not a person was in sight. I practically skip down the hall, enjoying being alone. It probably wouldn't last, but I was going to thoroughly enjoy it.

I find myself in a field full men in full armor sparring swords or challenging each other in archery. Some of them fought so fiercely you couldn't tell it was only training. I noticed Arthur among them and groaned, turning to make my escape before he saw me and my alone time came to an end.

"Sarah!"

Too late. I turn around, trying to be pleasant. But our argument wasn't forgotten. "Arthur."

He comes running up to me, sheathing his sword and leaving behind his match. "I didn't know you were awake. How are you?" He actually seemed to care.

"I'm fine, thank you." That question was getting old quickly.

He nods. "I'm glad." Was he seriously trying to be nice to me? Or maybe he just felt sorry for me. That seemed likely enough to me. I didn't need his sympathy. And I didn't want it either.

I turn to go back inside, eager to get away from him. I found it strange that his attitude towards me had changed so quickly, and it probably wouldn't last much longer. "I'll let you get back to your training."

He simply follows me, matching his pace to mine and slipping his arm through mine. "Nonsense. I think I'll keep you company instead."

Okay, he was starting to creep me out. He seems to notice my discomfort and grins. I opened my mouth to say something when Uther comes running up to us. "Princess Sarah. Gaius informed me our very own sleeping beauty had awoken! You should be resting, my dear. You've been through a great deal." I noticed neither Arthur or Uther seemed keen on saying anything about our intruder.

"I'm fine, really. Thank you for your concern.", I say some what flatly. People could stop treating me like I was delicate. I was getting irritated.

"Well, be sure not to over tax yourself." He winks at Arthur. "Keep an eye on her." And with that he was gone. Off to handle some duty, I'm sure. And now I was stuck with Arthur as an assigned babysitter. This day couldn't get any better.

"It should seem I'm all yours.", He teases after Uther is out of sight and earshot. I knew the nice act wouldn't last long.

I roll my eyes and slip my arm from his. "You know what? I'm beginning to feel faint. I should go lie down for a while.", I hastily come up with an excuse. Being stuck in my room was better than being stuck with Arthur.

He simply takes my arm again with a smirk. "Nope. You aren't getting away from me that easily. We are going to have loads of fun."

"Lucky me.", I groan. He ignores me.

"Lucky you.", He agrees. This was going to be a long day.


	8. Chapter 8

"Stop fidgeting. People are staring", Arthur tells me. I couldn't help it. We walked along, pretending to be like any other peasant couple walking through town.

It bothered me to be out here without any protection. Arthur had his sword, of course, but that creepy sorcerer was still out there and a sword couldn't do much against it. Try convincing Arthur of that, though. You might as well have been trying to get a fish to try and climb a tree. Not only that, but he decided acting like a courting couple would draw less attention to us. Just kill me now before the humiliation does.

"Sorry", I say for the millionth time, trying to relax. He wasn't helping by holding my hand. It was weird seeing him in peasant clothes, borrowed from Merlin. Anyone paying attention could see that he was anything but a peasant. He carried himself with confidence that only came with being raised as a prince. From being important right from birth.

He chuckles. "You being all too obvious, acting out of place. Are you really still nervous about leaving the castle?"

I scoff. "Well that didn't go too well for me last time. I got kidnapped, remember?" It wasn't a lie. When I left my world, dad's new castle was technically my home, and I nearly got nabbed by slave traders.

"Good point. But you're with me now."

"Yes, and I almost died the last time you said that", I say under my breath. If he heard me, he was completely ignoring my comment. His cocky attitude was more than getting old.

I shivered under my cloak, pulling it closer around my shoulders. Henry said we had to leave soon or the snow would keep us here for a few months. He would probably kill me if he saw where I was right now. Arthur notices me shivering and wraps his arm around me. I tense. "What are you doing?"

"Aren't you cold? I'm being a gentleman.", he grins. I rolled my eyes and try to shrug him off, but instead he pulls me into an alley suddenly and presses me against the wall. Before I can say anything he brings his finger to his lips, telling me silently to be quiet. It doesn't take too long before I figure out why.

A patrol of knights go by on horseback, only feet away from where Arthur and I stood. I realized Arthur was shielding me from being seen. It would be one thing for Arthur to be caught outside of the castle, but I would get in huge trouble. And he would be in trouble for bringing me out here in the first place.

Once the sound of hooves die away, Arthur peaks around the corner to see if they were gone. They were. "Let's try not to cut it that close again.", he says. I wasn't about to disagree with him.

"Where are we going anyway?", I asked. I still didn't get the point of this.

"Now that, my dear, is a surprise. Telling you would ruin it. Stop asking so many questions." I decide keeping my mouth shut about that last comment was best, no matter how much it killed me. Fighting with him would only get us noticed, that would get us caught, and I wasn't in the mood for another lecture.

We head back down the street. A lone knight was walking toward us. I wanted to turn around and walk they other way, but Arthur loops his arm through mine and kept me moving forward. "I am saying something very funny. You pull up your hood and laugh."

I do as I'm told, pulling up my hood to hide my face and laughing like a giddy schoolgirl. To my horror, as we pass the knight Arthur bends down and kisses my cheek to hide his own face from being seen. Heat radiates through my cheeks, and I could only hope I wasn't blushing to badly. What was wrong with him today?

We come to a house, no different from any other, but as Arthur drags me inside and I knew it was what he brought me out here for. As soon as the door was closed he let go of my arm.

I blink in surprise at what the room held. Weapons lined the walls, along with armor and sheaths. Bows, spears, swords, daggers, and weapons I couldn't even name filled the room's every empty space. I doubted even the royal armory could have much more variety. What would he need weapons for?

"Your Highness. I did not expect to see you so soon.", says a voice behind me. A girl, not much older than me, stood in a doorway leading to another room. Her bright red hair was untamed, with braids tied off with leather cords and feathers decorating it. A scar lined the side of her face, from her left temple in a ragged line down to her chin. She looked wild, and not someone I would be in a hurry to befriend.

"Kayla. How are you?", Arthur asks, trying to be pleasant, or at least faking it. She ignores him and takes to studying a short blade.

She notices me behind him, and looks me up and down as if trying to decide if I was worth her time. I immediately didn't like her, she creeped me out. "A Taharan? I'm guessing this is the girl everyone has been going on about. Last I heard she was poisoned. Are you sure it was safe to bring her here?"

"No one knows we left. I'll have her back before anyone notices she's missing."

She nods, cocking her head to the side with a sly grin. "I suppose you have another reason for coming other than to visit me?"

"She needs to learn to protect herself. I was thinking you might have something more manageable than a man's sword for her."

Kayla's face lights up. "I might have just the thing. You will be her tutor, I'm assuming. I don't have much time for trips to the castle to teach her myself. Besides, you remember what happened last time." He doesn't answer her, but she was too busy rummaging through a rack swords to notice.

Seemingly unhappy, she measures me a few times. Apparently I was too short for most of her blades. She herself was a good four inches taller than me, and according to her that made a big difference. Finally, she seems to be happy with one and trots over to me, holding it out for me to take. I take it, pulling it from it's sheath. It was much lighter than I had thought it would be, and was balanced nicely. A design was etched into its hilt.

"How does it feel?", Kayla asks.

"Good.", I say after taking a few swings. But I felt more like a kid playing with a light-saber than trying out a deadly weapon. She frowns, and adjusts my hands.

"Hold it like this. You'll have better control and be less likely to hit yourself after a good, unblocked swing. Try again." I obey, taking a few more swings, not really knowing what I was doing, but from the look on Kayla's face I was doing something right.

Arthur wasn't paying attention, instead looking through a set of cross-bows. Kayla grins at me, handing me a set of two matching daggers. The same inscription on my sword adorned their hilts. She also gave me sheaths for them. "Calve sheaths. Men usually won't check your legs for weapons and your skirts hide them well enough. You don't need much help with how to wield these. Just aim well and hit hard. Figure out the weak point in Armor and use that to your advantage."

She shows me how to strap them on while Arthur was in the other room. I also get a shoulder sheath, so my sword was strapped to my back instead of my waist. It was more convenient and easier to hide under a cloak. Most people would frown upon, or become suspicious of a woman having a weapon so it was bets to have them out of sight.

"Thank you.", I tell her as she ties my cloak over the sword, leaving it completely out of sight. I had to admit, this was smart and sweet of Arthur to do this for me. I needed to know how to protect myself, especially since I was going to be leaving here to go to Tahara.

She smiles and shrugs. "It's nothing I don't wish someone had done for me before it was too late." I don't ask her what she means. The look on her face said it was a painful memory and I didn't want to pry. My original impression of her seemed to be wrong. As soon as she realized that I wasn't some prissy girl who wouldn't even think of touching a weapon she seemed to have warmed up to me.

Arthur came back, hefting a shield. It looked way heavier than I am. "That better not be for me.", I groan. There was no way he was getting me to lug that around.

He smirks. "I highly doubt you could even lift it anyway. But no, it's for me.", He turns to Kayla, who was suddenly all business again. "How much?"

She waves her hand dismissively as if she was shocked by the idea of him paying her. "After everything you've done for me? On the house. Besides, I like her. Keep her safe."

He seems a bit surprised, but nods. "I will. Let me know if I can do anything for you." We left after that, walking back the way we came. "She took quite a liking to you. Kayla doesn't usually like anyone."

"I liked her too. Though I wouldn't want to go against her.", I supressed a shiver. Kayla could probably be very scary when she wanted to be.

Arthur laughs. "No, you don't. But I'll do my best to make sure you can at least spar without getting yourself killed." I roll my eyes, but grinned anyways. Spending even more time training with Arthur wasn't at all appealing, but it would be worth it if I could eventually get good enough to challenge _him._ Maybe this place wouldn't be so bad. I mean, how many people could actually get a chance to be in Camelot? And maybe I was sent here for a reason. I just needed to find out what that was.


	9. Chapter 9

It was much too easy to sneak back into the castle unnoticed. I even made it back to my room without anyone questioning where I had been. Arthur must have plenty of experience playing hooky.

I changed into something more suitable for dinner, with Gwen's help, and let her fix my hair. She seemed to enjoy dressing me up. As much as I wanted to keep my sword on me, I had to hide it instead. it wasn't like I knew how to use it anyway. At least I could still keep the daggers hidden in their sheaths, strapped to my shins. I wasn't going to be taking chances anymore.

Gwen walks back into the room after fetching some sort of lotion and caught me hiding it in my trunk. She eyes it wearily. "That's a fine sword my lady. I didn't know you had interest in sword play."

"Thank you. It's a recent interest if I may say so myself."

She smiles. "Perhaps I could help. My father was the blacksmith, he taught me everything he could."

I nod, happy that she wasn't going to tattle on me. If Henry found out I would get a lecture about 'acting like a lady' or 'letting the men do their job', ir even 'just sit there and look pretty'. Henry loved lectures. "That would be lovely. I admit, though, I know practically nothing."

I sit down in front of the mirror and allow her to brush through my hair, and twist it into place, securing it with pins. "That won't be a problem miss. I'll do my best to teach you. Do you already have a teacher yet? I could help you practice."

"Arthur plans to teach me. But it would be nice to have a woman's prospective. You've been good to me Gwen. Thank you." She seems surprised every time I thank her, like it was out of place. I felt rude if I didn't though.

When she had finished with me, she walked me down to dinner. Thankfully, there wasn't a big party tonight. It was only Uther, Henry, Arthur, and I. Merlin stood by the door when I came in. I smiled at him, and he returned it.

Uther and Henry sat at either end of the table, obviously the heads. I was glad I didn't have to worry about being Queen for a few more years. I could leave that to Henry for now. It was still such a foreign thought, that I would be ruler of anything. I never even ran for class president at home. I had my friends, sure. But I had always been one to stay out of people's way and mind my own buisness.

"Good evening", I say everyone. They all nod in response. I was seated across from Arthur, next to Uther and Henry.

We ate in silence, but it wasn't at all awkward. There just wasn't much to say. Just when Henry and I went to excuse ourselves for the night, the doors swung open. Knights garbed in armor and green cloaks were introduced. My own men from Tahara. Henry looked pleased that they were here already, in only four days time.

The leader of the men stepped away from the pack of twenty men and bowed. "I am Sir Luca, your Highness's." He looks right at me, seemingly ignoring everyone else as he spoke. He admittedly was very handsome. Sandy colored hair, green eyes. He was very rugged looking, but in a polished way. If that made sense anyway. I recognizes the coat of arms that decorated the button on his cloak. It was the symbol of Tahara, a falcon in flight holding a spear in its talons.

Luca strides across the room, kneeling before me and takes my hand, pressing his lips to it. He smiles at me. "Princess. My men and I will lay our lives down for you, just as we did for your father, may he rest in peace."

"Thank you Sir Luca. I owe you and your men a great service." Okay, exactly when I started talking like this, I didn't know. But it _felt_ right. It came naturally to me. I hated that I was so well known here. Like they knew a part of me that I didn't. My whole life was planned out for me here, and I didn't even know much of my past.

He nods to me and rejoins his men. Uther promises them lodging and food, and they leave soon after. Sir Luca's eyes linger on me until the door is closed with him on the other side. I didn't know whether to be creeped out or flattered. Guys never gave me a second look at home. I'd never even had a boyfriend before. Not that I would actually want to date most of the guys I met. They tended to be immature jerks that refused to grow up.

Henry went up to bed after that. But I still wasn't anywhere near tired, so I ended up walking along the top of the castle, looking at the stars. Granted you couldn't see them very well because the moon was bright and torches lined the walk way, but it was better than nothing at all. Guards were stationed every twenty feet or so, and every one of them looked at me like I was insane for being out here, though none of them said a word to me.

I leaned up against a wall over looking the forest. The stone was cool under my fingers. I suppose it would be really pretty here in the summer, when there was actually green leaves on the trees. The winter made the woods look dark and daunting. It didn't exactly help that I had bad memories of the last time I was in the woods. The wind whipped at me, loosening strands of my hair from the twisted up-do Gwen had done.

"Sarah?" I turn finding Merlin standing behind me.

"Hi.", I smile and he comes to stand next to me. "I don't know how to thank you. You saved my life. More than once at that."

"It was nothing.", He shrugs.

"No it wasn't. You didn't even know me at first. You barely know me now.", I lower my voice, not wanting to get him in trouble with anything I said. "And I know you risked a lot with the last time."

He grinned. "You're not like any other royal I've met before."

"What is that supposed to mean?", I ask, laughing.

"I'm not sure. You just seem...", He pauses, as if trying to figure out the right word. "Different."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Yes. And I think other people notice it too. You'll make a good queen, you know. Tahara is lucky."

I stare out into the darkness. I didn't know about that. How could a teenage girl who has never even been to the place she is meant to rule make a good queen? I was an American girl who even hated election year because of all the political crap that swarmed around everywhere. I felt like a lie. Everyone thought I was raised for this, but I had barely been here for two weeks. "You're a good friend, Merlin. Arthur is lucky to have you."

"You think of me as a friend?", he asks, seeming surprised that I would. I seemed to shock a lot of people here.

"Of course I do." He had saved me from arrows, healed my wound, and saved me from a magic sickness. If he wasn't a friend, I didn't know what he was. Something about this place just threw people together, growing bonds quickly. Maybe it was being in life or death moments frequently, or having to rely on others for your survival. I just knew that I felt closer to Merlin than any of my friends back home who would forget about me as quickly as the last clothing fad disappeared. I trusted him.

"I heard Arthur got you a sword.", He says quietly, interrupting my thoughts.

"He did. Generous of him."

Merlin nods. "He isn't so bad, you know. Once you get to know him that is. He was a complete arse when I first met him. He never really gets along with anyone but he particularly doesn't seem to get along with you."

I couldn't help but laugh slightly at that. That was for sure. We had rubbed each other the wrong way from the moment we met. "We just have different views on things is all."

"I think he bought you weapons to prove he didn't have a problem with women being something other than a damsel in distress. He usually doesn't back down from something like that, you know. He's much too stubborn."

I raised an eyebrow, not liking the sudden turn of the conversation. "What are you implying, Merlin?"

He seems to realize what he said and turns beat red. "That's not what I meant! I mean, _you and Arthur?_ There's no way! Silly thought. I don't even know why I said that." I let him ramble on as I hold in giggles, making him sweat at my stern expression. It was mean, but completely hilarious. Poor Merlin looked horrified that he implied that Arthur might have a crush on me. I mean, really? Me and _Arthur?_ That wasn't happening. Not if I could help it.

**musicnlyrics- Yay! I'm glad you like it! Thanks for reviewing!**

**MyLadyAssassin- Thank you! That's exactly what I wanted her to come across as. Strong, but not above being saved and lots of room for character development. Thanks for reviewing!**

**I hope you guys stick with me! Reviews make my day :) Thanks to all my followers and everyone who favorited as well! I hope you like how the story turns out! And also if you like 'Twilight', Check out my story 'Chosen Fates' which is pretty far along. And yes, I know I changed the cover again, but I was having way to much fun with a photo editor and couldn't not use it!**


	10. Chapter 10

"Get up." says a voice, interrupting my dreams. I ignore it, turning away from it and keeping my eyes shut. Light fills the room, hurting my eyes even though they are shut. I groan and hide my head under the quilt, only to have it ripped away from me. Cold winter air hits me like a knife. "Sarah, get up."

I open my eyes, finding Arthur standing at the foot of my bed holding my covers. "Go away.", I snap, throwing a pillow at him. He catches it and throws it aside. When he doesn't move I drag myself out of my bed, and push him towards the door. "Get out!"

He doesn't move an inch. "Well, I was going to start your lessons this morning, but if you'd rather sleep..." I stop pushing him. Gosh, he was annoying. The sun was barely up, so it was probably around six in the morning. I wasn't a morning person, and they way I had been woken up instantly put me in a bad mood. regardless, I wanted that lesson. What better way to get out a bad mood than to swing a sword at the person who caused it?

"Fine. Give me ten minutes." He smiles, but stays put. "I said to get out." He leaves, a smug smile on his face.

I got dressed and tied my hair back. A pitcher of water was on the table, so I washed my face. I hated not being able to take a shower every day, or even have a shower at all. I had to take baths in a giant tub that was lugged in servants and lugged out when I was done. Lastly I strapped my sword to my back, my daggers to my calves, and left the room.

Arthur leaned against the wall on the other side of the hall. He was dressed in full armor, and looked way too happy for what time it was. I hated morning people. I ignore him holding out his arm for me. That wasn't happening today.

The castle was only just waking up, and there wasn't many people out. I expected to head to the training field, but we head in the other direction. He probably wanted to go somewhere where he could teach me without Henry finding out. Not many other people would actually care, but he might hear through word of mouth.

We nearly made it outside too, but I guess our luck couldn't hold out forever. "My Lady?" asks a voice behind us, just as we about escaped through the servants entrance through the kitchen. Sir. Luca.

Arthur grumbles something unhappily that I can't hear. "Sir. Luca. How are you this morning?", I ask, trying to pretend to be in a good mood.

"I am fine, M'lady. May I inquire where you are headed?" Crap. We were caught, and I didn't have an excuse. I notice his eyes flick suspiciously between Arthur and I. As if this morning wasn't bad enough. My conversation with Merlin flashes through my head. I really didn't need guy drama right now.

"That would be none of your business, Sir.", Arthur answers for me.

Luca looks offended. "I apologize. But if the Lady Sarah is leaving the castle, it is my duty to accompany her."

Arthur starts to argue, but I stomp on his foot to stop him. He scowls angrily at me, but gets the que to shut his mouth and let me talk. "It's fine. As long as he doesn't tell Henry."

"Fine.", he spits, and walks out the door in a storm of anger. "He's teaching me how to use a sword.", I explain as we run after him. Luca looks intrigued, but doesn't say anything.

We end up a little ways off the main road in the woods, still close enough to the city for there to not be many robbers and what-not, but hidden from anyone we wouldn't want to know what we were up to. I take off my cloak, revealing my sword. Luca looks surprised, but still keeps silent and keeps his distance from the two of us, simply watching. Arthur shows me the basics, making sure I know enough to not get injured before sparing and practicing with sticks.

I raise the sword, waiting for him to attack me instead of vise versa. I wanted to observe his style, and adjust mine to fit it. He had practically been sword fighting since birth. If I dove into a fight with him head first, I'd lose quickly. He raises his sword to strike. "Surely you don't intend to attack the lady.", Luca speaks up. I hated the gender rules here.

Arthur lowers his blade, turning to glare at Sr. Luca. "Would you _shut up_?"

"Stop it!", I snap, to both Arthur and Sir Lucs. "He's teaching me so if I do get attacked, I'll be able to defend myself. Either Arthur attacks me to teach me, or somebody else does who intends to see me dead. Which do you prefer?" Besides, the worse that could happen is a would geta nasty bruise. We were using blunt swords.

He shy's back, still glaring daggers and I return my attention back to Arthur. If looks could kill, they would both be dead by the way they were looking at each other.

I barely have time to raise my sword to block his blow. He had height and strength on me, but I was faster. I duck under his arm as he swings at me, taking advantage of being behind him by striking his knees. He goes toppling to the ground before he knows what's happening. Since I couldn't use strength or experience, I had to be clever.

"Where did you learn to do that?", Arthur asks as he picks himself up from the ground.

I shrug, not really knowing myself. "Instinct."

Arthur rolls his eyes and circles me, not willing to be so bold to attack me again. At last he swings his blade at my feet, I jump over it but it catches my skirt and trips me. I was really beginning to hate the long and heavy dresses I was forced to wear. What did women here have against pants? I would kill for just _one _good pair of jeans.

Luckily, I catch my balance before I went entirely to the ground. My moment of nearly falling over gave Arther an advantage, though. He grabs my arms and pins them down to my side, holding me from behind. My sword dangled uselessly in my hand at my side. I struggled against him, but it's completely usless.

I go to stomp on his foot again, but he lifts me up out of reach of them. I really hated being short. Lessons from my self defence course my dad made me take before a school trip to Chicago rushed through my head. I was suddenly very thankful he insisted I took them. Kicking at him wasn't doing much good, and I didn't have use of my hands so I had only one option other than admitting defeat. I slammed my head back into his face. Not hard, but enough for him to let go of me. I could use more than a sword to defend myself.

Luca laughed in the background as Arthur released me, holding his nose. "What was that for?!"

"It was the only way to get you to let go of me!"

He grimaces, going back into attack mode. After sparring for a few more minutes he decided we were done for the day and saunters off back to the castle, his good mood completely gone. I couldn't tell if that was because of Luca, or me. Either way he was in a hurry to get away. I headed after him, Luca on my heels acting like a body guard. He caught up with me. "I don't understand you.", he says.

I raise an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"You wanting to learn to fight like a man. It's strange."

I roll my eyes. People needed to get over their issues with women doing men's jobs. They'd all have heart attacks if they went back to my world. What it even a world? Or maybe I went back in time. I doubted that though. There wasn't any magic. "Well, I didn't ask you, did I?", I snap.

"No. But you must see, it goes against the laws of nature to see a woman fighting a man. I won't say anything, since you asked me not to, but you should know that my men and I will protect you. There is no need for you to arm yourself."

We don't speak to each other the rest of the way back. I ditch him as soon as we were inside the walls, going to find Merlin. I didn't know how much more of his sexist views I could take. But I was going to prove him wrong.

**Meh, this one was kinda forced. I hope you liked it anyways. I have the week off for thanksgiving so I have a lot more writing time :) Thank you again to my awesome reviewers! Let me know if I should keep her in Camelot a while longer, or if you'd rather see her head for Tahara. Romance, or no? I can't decide! lol And if so, with whom?**


	11. Chapter 11

"You wanted to see me?", I ask, peaking my head through the door of Henry's room. He'd been quiet lately. Too quiet. It worried me since he was usually running his mouth and finding something to complain about, or bossing me around.

"Yes. Come in."

I shut the door behind me, walking to where he sat at a desk in the far corner of the room. His room was much like mine, nearly identical even. He was hunched over a piece of paper, as if trying to take in every detail of it. He stays silent, even as I pull up a chair to sit opposite of him. He didn't look angry, which was why I wasn't freaking out inside, merely scared. Maybe a bit sad. After the longest time he pushes the parchment across the desk, motioning for me to look at it.

It was a sketch of a man, just his face. His eyes were fierce and dark, like he wanted to rip your heart out. The look on his face was murderous. But what was the worst, was I recognized him. He was the man who dragged me down from the tree, the one who gave me the circlet so he could cast a spell on me. Try to kill me.

"You know this man?", Henry asks me, studying my reaction.

I nod slowly. "He's the wizard, isn't he? The one from the night of the ball."

"His name is Raul. Or at least it used to be. It seems he has used many aliases these past years. I thought it might be him, but I wasn't sure so I didn't want to say anything.."

I hand him back the paper. "Did they find him?"

"No. But they caught sight of him at the border of Tahara. Do you know why he took such an interest in you?" I don't answer, completely clueless. "He hates your family. _He _is the one who cursed that sword, and me. My guess is he doesn't like that you were given an easy life here. He wants to make it difficult, if not unbearable for you."

"Then why did he try to kill me when he wants to make me suffer?"

"To scare you. Make you live in terror that he might pop up and kill you at any time. And to prove that he can kill with more that a weapon. He did the same thing with every other Talbot who got sent here. Plus it didn't help that you broke his nose. That probably pissed him off."

I sat quietly, letting it sink in. A Talbot obsessed wizard wanted to make my life a living hell just because he didn't like an ancestor of mine for whatever reason. _Great. _No wonder Henry looked scared. He had experienced first hand what Raul could do.

"What are we going to do?", I ask.

He shrugs. "Uther has invited us to stay in Camelot a while longer, but we're likely to be stuck here for a few more months anyway if it snows too much. I sent a message back to have men search for him, but I doubt they'll find him."

"Did you warn Uther about Raul?"

"Nope. The last time Raul was seen was at least 50 years ago. I'm not supposed to be that old. Uther will accuse me of magic if I say anything." I look at his graying hair and wrinkles, but don't say anything. He looked like he could be that old to me, even if he was just a kid at the time. Maybe there was some other way we could warn him. It seemed only fair after everything he and Arther had done for us. I owed them both that much. Henry seems to read my mind. "Keep your mought shut kid. You'll make things worse. Uther will go on a rampage trying to find him, and who knows what he'll think of us."

"We can't not tell them! They have to be warned. Be prepared. Raul wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for me. We don't have to say _you _know him. Just that you know of him and recognized him."

"No. You will _not_ say anything about it to anyone. End of discussion. You can go now." I try to argue some more. "Sarah. Leave." I stood, glaring at him and stomp out of the room. He was such a selfish pig.

I was so angry didn't even know where I was going before I ended up at Gaius's door. Merlin wasn't there, of course, but it wasn't really him I wanted to see. I knocked, and he came to the door a minute later.

"Sarah. What a nice surprise. Come in won't you?" He holds the door open for me, and I step inside. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, thanks to you and Merlin." He motions for me to sit down at the table as he pours some sort of steaming drink.

"Then may I assume you came just to visit me?", he asks as he hands me a cup. I take a sip. It was good, which was saying a lot of Gaius's tonics, and tasted slightly like peppermint.

"You may."

He smiles at me. "We haven't really had time to talk, have we? Is that symbol still on your arm?"

"Yes."

"May I?", he asks. I pull down my sleeve off my shoulder, letting him look at it. It was as black and clear as ever. It was becoming harder and harder to hide it from Gwen. She nearly saw it a few times, and was constantly questioning why I prefered shifts that covered my shoulders. I guess she thought I was overly modest or something. "Do you know what it means?"

"No."

"I have been studying it. I believe it was part of a language practiced by a branch of followers of the old religion. It's too primitive to be directly from it. I can't quite work out the meaning of the rune itself, but I know these kind of marks were burned into the skin and later activated by an element. It could be any of the four, but fire or water was the most practical. They could be used in various ways. Healing, pain, giving strength in battle, the possibilities are endless really as long as you found a symbol or rune to fit it."

Of course I knew as much. Henry vaguely explained it to me my first night here. But I couldn't tell Gaius that, even if I wanted too. If I told anyone the truth I'd probably be locked away somewhere for being mentally insane. "Is there any way too get rid of it?", I ask hopefully, pulling my sleeve back up.

"Well, usually once their purpose was done, they fade into a scar. So unless we can figure out what the rune means and complete it, there is no getting rid of it."

Now I was confused. Wasn't it's purpose to bring me here in the first place? If it hadn't been used, then what was it for? And how did I get here if it wasn't the rune? It had to be some other sort of magic then. My head hurt.

The door swung open at that moment, revealing Merlin. He looked out of breath. "Sarah! I've been looking everywhere for you. Arthur wants to do another sword lesson." I try not to groan. I still hadn't gotten over being sore from the last one. My arms were killing me.

"Alright.", I turn to Gaius. "Thanks for the tea." He smiles and takes my cup from me. I stride over to Merlin. "Let's go."

We don't even leave the palace this time. I follow him through a maze of hallways and corridors, not recognizing most of them. We end up in a large room, looking recently cleaned. There wasn't any furniture other than an empty bookcase pushed back against a far wall. It had probably been used for storage or something before someone cleaned it out. Arthur was looking out a window in a corner. He doesn't waste any time throwing me a blunt sword and getting started.

"How's your arms?", he teases.

I glare at him. He'd heard me complaining about it and probably wouldn't let me live it down anytime soon. He parries my blow, pressing me back, putting me on defense. He narrowly misses hitting me in the shoulder as I lean away. He was fighting with a energy he didn't have last time, and noticeably had more skill. My face hardens when I realize exactly what happened in our last lesson. I was such an idiot.  
"You went easy on me last time!", I say angrily between blows, barely able to block or doge any of them. Sweat break out across my forehead in concentration.

He grins. "Of course I did. It's good to start off with a bit of confidence. Besides, if I beat you too bad Sir protective would have taken off my head." He crosses his blade with mine, twisting it around until the hilt is wrenched from my hands and clatters to the floor away from , or 'Sir protective', as Arthur prefered to call him had been avoiding me like the plague since the sword lesson. Not that I was complaining, he annoyed me half to death. I just found it strange.  
"I win.", he grins as he points the tip of his sword at my chin. "You need to move your feet more. If all you do is take blows as they come to you, you'll lose."

"Again. And don't you dare hold back.", I say and pick the blade back up. This time I don't wait for him to come after me. I thrust my blade at his stomach, but he side steps it easily.

"Don't get impatient, Sarah. Think about what you're doing or you'll get yourself killed." The sound of metal hitting metal echos from the walls. I try to get in a few blocks and parries, but I'm having better luck just trying not to get hit. Arthur had more stamina than I did. I got tired quickly while he just kept going. I had a long ways to go before I could keep this up for a long time.

I felt guilty. I wanted to tell someone about Raul. But how could I do that without causing more problems?

**I hope this explained a bit more for those of you who were confused. Thank you for all of you're opinions! I love hearing what you think and giving me tips :) I think I have it figured out what I want to do now.**

**I've seriously never had so many reviews and added alerts and favorites on a single chapter... I love you guys! Thank you everyone for reading! Happy early Thanksgiving if I don't post a chapter tomorrow!**


	12. Chapter 12

Two week passed, and I got better with the sword every day. Arthur even let me start to use my real one instead of the heavier dulled one. Gwen even helped me practice once, and proved to be much better than me. Though, I did manage win one round against her. I got stronger, but I still relied on heavily on tricks if I wanted to win. I grew used to how things worked here, though Henry argued that I needed to learn to keep my mouth shut more often. He'd eventually realize that wasn't going to happen any time soon.

Even with all the work I put into it, I knew I was no where near ready for a real fight. At the very least I would be able to distract somebody and just try not to get killed. Snow had just begun to stick to the ground and the palace was freezing. Even the roaring fires in most of the rooms didn't seem to help much to cut through the cold air.

That night at dinner, a messenger rushed into the room and handed Henry a rolled up piece of paper before hurrying out again. He read it in silence before putting it down slowly.

"What's wrong?", I ask, seeing the look on his face.

"Several towns on the southern border are beginning to rebel in the absence of the royal family. Nothing that can't be handled, I'm sure."

"Of course not. We can send Arthur. I'm sure that in light of our alliance, it is the least I can do."

He considers this, but I knew he wouldn't turn it down. To Henry, the less he got involved in the better. "I must thank you once again for your generosity once again, Uther."

Uther nods and raises his goblet. "To a newly found alliance." The rest of us raise our own cups and repeat our toast.

"We shall leave tomorrow after we have time to gather supplies. Order shall be restored to your kingdom.", Arthur assures him.

Dinner ended on that sour note for me, but I kept quiet for now. I had been dying to see Tahara after being taught about it by Henry. He'd been filling my head with traditions, history, and pictures of the land. I felt an undeniable tug towards it. Maybe it was just being told it was my homeland, so I was simply curiosity. But what I knew for sure was that I wasn't going to let Arthur storm into villages killing people to gain back control.

I followed him out of the hall, and he didn't seem to hear me following him at first but I knew he did. "What do you want, Sarah?", he asks without turning around.

"I'm coming with you."

He stops and turns around, looking amused. "No you are not. You'll get hurt."

"No I won't! I can take care of myself. Besides, you don't really think the people will listen to you, do you? They won't submit to an outsider. It will be a bloodbath and you know it." I was going out on a limb, not sure if he would take the bait. My best chance to get in on this was to get Arthur on my side and get him to convince Uther and Henry.

"What do you mean an outsider?"

I smirk, knowing I would at least get him to listen now. "Would anyone in Camelot willingly accept my forced leadership?"

"Point taken, but there is no way your uncle, or my father for that mater, would allow you to go. It's too dangerous for-"

"A woman?", I cut him off. "You and I both know I'm good enough now to at least keep myself alive. No one will expect me to know how to use a sword. And if you bring me it won't come down to a fight. I'm meant to be Queen. The people listen to me."

"Sarah. You're not Queen yet. Stop being so stubborn.", he grumbles.

"Technically, I am. Henry is my regent, not the king. I only have to run my own decisions through him and get approval. He's like a privileged advisor. In less than two years is my coronation. The people think of me as their Queen already. My not being in Tahara is causing problems. It is my responsibility to fix them."

He doesn't say anything at first, thinking about what I said, which was something. He didn't flat out tell me no. "I'll see what I can do. But I'm not making any promises."

Arthur was in council with Henry and Uther for over an hour. They kicked me out so that the 'men' could discuss it. I was pacing like a maniac and having second thoughts. Maybe I should just stay in Camelot. It was safer. But at the same time something was telling me I _needed _to go. A million things could go wrong, but I found myself not really caring.

Henry was going to be pissed, but I could argue it was just me keeping up my princess image. He couldn't deny to politics behind what I was saying. We couldn't stay in Camelot forever even if I would be coming back after we were finished. Eventually I would have to move to Tahara and I would have to rule it. It would happen even if I didn't want it to. Being here had changed me, made me grow up and become a stronger person.

The door swung open, revealing Henry. He didn't even look angry with me as he put his hands on my shoulders, looking completely serious. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

I nod, shocked that Arthur got through to them. "It is my duty to the people." I sounded like a cheesy medieval movie. But if there was any place for it, it was here.

He turns to Arthur. "Take care of her. I'll send some of my men along with you." I try not to groan in protest. He was letting me go and I wasn't about to do anything to make him change his mind. If he was sending any of the Taharan knights, then I could be sure Luca would be coming with us. The guy got creepily protective over me sometimes.

We spend that night, and part of the next morning packing and gathering supplies. It would be a three day trip by horseback. The only time I'd ever ridden a horse was when I was nearly passed out when I first got here. I was just hoping it would be easy. I doubted it would be. Gwen brought me a new dress that I wished I'd had the whole time. It was Taharan green, with fitted sleeves that had cords criss-crossing up my arm. The material was nothing special, but it was warm and soft. It wasn't fancy or anything, which was why I liked it. I got a pair of worn in boots that were good for riding and running in. My calve sheaths fit easily over them.

Lastly I strapped on my sword to my back and fitted my grey cloak over it.

"Good luck.", Gwen tells me as she finishes off my braid.

"Thank you."

"Be careful."

"I will." She hugs me, startling me for a second before I hug her back. I would really miss her while I was gone.

The party leaving was gathering in the courtyard, readying themselves to head out. All together, there was a company of about thirty men. Merlin ran up to me after I came outside with a tan colored mare, already saddled. A side-saddle with my luck. I had no clue how to even ride the horse in the first place, much less with a side-saddle. I guess I would just have to suck it up. He helps me up and slides my feet into the stirrups before leading it into the pack of horses. "Thanks."

"No problem."

Arthur comes trotting over to us with one of his knights, a dark haired man with a good natured grin. "Sarah, meet Gwaine. Stay by him, and I mean it."

"You're giving me a nanny? Really Arthur? I'm not a five-year-old."

Gwaine laughs and Arthur smacks his arm. "It's for your own good. Besides, Gwaine won't bite." He sticks me with Gwaine next to me smack in the middle of everyone else. At least I wasn't in the front, where I would actually have to guide my horse. With others in front of her she just followed them and I could focus on just staying on. If it came down to having to move at a run, I would have to ride bareback or something.

Our parade of riders looked like Christmas between the Camelot red and the Taharan green only good part of this stupid side-saddle was I could easily look behind me. And I could see the castle growing smaller and smaller behind the trees until it faded into the distance.

**I'm not really happy with this one, but I hope you liked it anyway. I don't know if it's just moving to fast or something, but I might end up re-writing it later. Sorry I didn't update this week as much as I would have liked, I got expectantly busy _and _season 4 finally came out on Netflix! Yay for us American fans who can't find Merlin anywhere else! Anyways as always, thank you for reading!**


	13. Chapter 13

"And then I shoved Merlin over the edge and we got away without a scratch." Gwaine says, grinning. Gwaine might not bite, but his bark was enough to annoy you to death. He seemed to think it was his personal job to entertain me for the entire six hour ride before we made camp by telling me war stories and tales of his adventures. And just any stories, really. I started tuning him out when he told me about one where Merlin got scared of a large pheasant.

When the sun started setting, we broke up into groups for the night and started fires for dinner. I helped Merlin tend to the fire, but he wouldn't let me anywhere near his stew. Which was fine by me, I wasn't going to even touch the raw venison he was putting in it. A few weeks ago, eating deer would have been repulsive to me. Now it seemed perfectly normal. Meat was meat after all.

Merlin stood, grabbing an ax. "Let me do that", I say, reaching to take it from him.

He jerks it away from me. "You don't have to. I'll get it."

I roll my eyes and grab it from him. I was with a group of men that expected me to just sit around and let them do everything, and it wasn't happening. "I've chopped wood before, Merlin. Watch your stew." I walk away before he can take the axe back, leaving him shouting in protest behind me. Slinging the axe over my shoulder, I set out in search of a small tree to chop down.

It wasn't too long before I found a young sapling of a good size and went to work hacking at the trunk. The tree was thin, so it didn't take too many hits before it was down. Once it was on the ground I chopped it into shorter logs and picked them up, sliding the handle of the axe into a loop on my belt.

"Where did you learn to do that?"

It was Gwaine. He probably noticed I had wondered away from the camp and came to see what I was doing. I shrug. "My father. He wanted a son, but he had to settle for me." Memories of summers spent in our cabin by the lake were bittersweet. We chopped all of our own wood to keep the little cabin warm. It was the one time of year he hadn't been to busy to spend extensive lengths time with me. I hadn't even cared that I hated fishing and hiking and all of the other outdoorsy stuff he liked to do. I had just enjoyed spending time with him.

Gwaine takes a few of the logs from me. "I must admit, you are quite different from any other princess I've meet."

I laugh. He had no idea exactly how different I was. "I get that a lot. He seems confused. "I hear that a lot.", I correct.

"I suppose you would. Not many girls could wield an axe even if they wanted to."

We take to wood back to Merlin, who was busy keeping Arthur out of the stew until it was finished. After everyone in our group had eaten, everyone settled down for the night.

Sentry's were chosen to keep guard in shift, making sure there weren't any surprise attacks. I curled up on the ground with a blanket, falling into a light sleep not soon after. Merlin snored not far from where I was. The guy could practically fall asleep anywhere.

Feeling only like minutes later, I woke up to the whisper of my name being repeated in my ear. I went to say something, but a hand clamped tightly over my mouth. My eyes flashed open, panic taking over my body as I lashed out. My attacker only held me down tighter, succeeding in keeping my from crying out.

"Calm down please, child! I wish you no harm." It was a woman, her kind looking eyes begged me to stop struggling. When she realized I was done, she removes her hand. I recognized her face.

"What are you doing here?", I whisper.

She shakes her head. "We can't talk here." The woman stands, pulling me up with her. She was surprisingly strong for looking to frail, and she was dressed in the same ragged dress I had seen her in last. She was to woman who was captured by the same men that nearly got me from my first day here. I had wondered what had become of her after that day, if she ever made it back to her home. I didn't even question why she wanted me to follow, I just did, being careful not to wake anyone up.

Once we were out of ear shot of the camp she started speaking quietly. "It is good to see you well child. I feared you would not live as long as this. Most of your kind do not."

"My kind? What do you mean?"

She hooks her fingers under my sleeve, exposing my shoulder in a quick motion. "You know know exactly what I'm talking about. You're marked. Don't try to deny it" She meant someone sent here. A Talbot. I look at her in shock, not knowing how to process the situation. No one knew my secret but Henry and I. Not until now.  
"Do not look so surprised, child. My people, the Amnell, remember the things that awful man has done to those like you. You do not belong here."

I don't know what to say, so I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. "Why are you here?"

"To return your kindness. You saved me and my people from a terrible fate, one you would have shared, so it is my turn to do the same for you.", she answers in a tone that says it should be obvious.

"What does that mean? I wasn't in any danger."

"Not that you knew of. Come. You may stay with my people and be safe."

I stop walking. "I'm not leaving. Tell me what the danger is."

She shakes her head vigorously. "No child! You must come with me! My village would welcome you. You wouldn't have to run. Your life with us could be a happy and long one among the Amnell. Allow me to do this small thing for you."

"I can't just leave. I'm sorry. Please. Tell me what the danger is. Is it Raul?"

Her face was twisted in a terrified exspression, I can see that much through the darkness. Anyone could see the way she fidgeted as if the one thing she wanted to do was get away from here. "No, child. merely one of his pets. We must go now if we wish to escape."

A shrill scream filled the air, sending a shiver down my spine. It didn't sound human. Through the trees I could just barely make out a shape circling around the camp. Shouts of men waking up broke through the silence, and soon fires were lit. It illuminates the creature. The thing was hideous and looked like a cross between a dragon, human, and a pig with a squashed face. If a pig had fangs, that is. The woman grabbed my wrist, trying to pull my along with her but I twist away.

"What is that thing?"

"A gar. A man-eating cousin of the dragon.", She backed away nervously. "Come. We can still get away if we go now."

I shake my head. "I won't leave my friends."

"Then you will die, child." She looked desperate to get me to come with her, but I couldn't.

"We will see about that", I say, drawing out my sword from my back. I raced back to the camp, leaving her pouting behind me. My name was being called, and I knew they noticed I was gone. Men were scrambling around, trying to form rank against the beast. But the thing hadn't done anything but circle above, snarling. It was even uglier up close.

Luca found me first, eyes wild with adrenaline and sword drawn. He was only wearing a few hastily fastened pieces of his armor over his tunic and leggings. "Where were you?"

The gar swooped, bearing down on the largest group of men. They all ducked out of the way just before it swiped its talons at them. "I'll tell you later."

It eyed me angrily, and I knew it only came for one thing. Me. I barely had time to blink before it was barreling towards me, fangs bared. I couldn't move. Something about it's horrible cat-like eyes held me in place. Luca dove at me, knocking me to the ground and out of the way.

"Thanks.", I say, breathing heavily. He nods and helps to to my feet. The gar wasn't paying attention to us anymore because we weren't the immediate threat at the moment. Arthur and a group of knights had it circled, now that it was on the ground. They weren't doing much though, just taking swipes and missing. Basically, they were just dodging half of the time. It couldn't be that smart if it was staying on the ground, giving us a bit more of an advantage. But I could tell one other thing, it wasn't out for the kill.

"We have to do something."

Luca looks at me like I had just asked him to slit his own throat. "You need to stay out of it. You'll just get in the way."

I make a face at him. I wasn't about to let him boss me around. Arthur swipes his torch at it, and it shrieks away in terror. It have me an idea. I sheathed my sword and grabbed a spare crossbow and some scraps of cloth that was used to wrap up dried meat that had already been used up. Luca had a torch of his own.

Wrapping an arrow in the cloth, I loaded it into the bow. I had never shot one before, but I heard the most difficult thing about them was loading the arrows. The rest was all aim. Luca watched me curiously. I realized I couldn't shoot from here without risking hitting someone I didn't want to.

Luckily there were plenty of trees. I found one in a good one and swung myself up on the lowest one after strapping the crossbow to my back over my sword. "What are you doing?", asks Luca.

"What does it look like? Are you coming, or do I need to take that torch up myself?"

He groans, but follows me up anyway. When I'm high enough to get a good shot, I position myself on a sturdy so I won't fall. I really didn't want a repeat of the last time I climbed a tree. Luca lights the loaded arrow with his torch after I unstrap the crossbow from my back.

The smoke from the torches below seemed to subdue the creature, so it was holding pretty still. I aimed for its neck and pulled the trigger. The flaming arrow arched down towards the beast. It missed the main body of the gar, but sliced through the membrane covering its wing and leaving the skin there smoking. It screamed again, flailing out in pain but I knew all I had done was annoy it. I lit another one and sent it flying, this time hitting its flank.

Gwaine looked up from the fight, amused to see I was the one aiding them. He grinned up at me.

I tried to get another shot, but it was moving around too much now. I couldn't guarantee I wouldn't accidentally hit someone. Merlin stood in the background, holding a torch of his own. The gar was now backed up under a large branch that probably weighed a few hundred pounds. If only it would fall on top of it, at least stunning it so I could get in another shot.

_Merlin._ I ordered Luca to wrap up a few more arrow tips to keep him busy while I got Merlin's attention. Finally, I made eye contact. He looked up at me questionably, trying to figure out what I wanted. I flicked my eyes towards the branch and then back to him. He nods, message received.

Minutes later, there was a loud crack followed by the branch falling. It hit it squarely on its head, it stumbled dizzily. I shot an arrow, flaming towards it. It jerked at the last moment, which was a bad idea on its part. The arrow hit it in the eye, making me look way better then I actually was.

"Nice Shot. I wouldn't be surprised if he'll be blind in the eye now. When did you learn how to fire a crossbow?", Luca compliments.

"It was lucky. And about five minutes ago,"

The gar was backing away, fleeing into the woods. I guess it couldn't fly with its wing ripped. We climbed down, met by several men commending my shooting. Gwaine helped me down from the last branch so I wouldn't have to jump. "Saints in heaven, I think I'm in love! That was incredible."

Arthur nudged him in the ribs but was laughing. "Leave the girl alone. Does anybody know what that thing was?"

"A gar." Everybody stares at me, waiting for me to explain. I was in for a long night.

**This was probably my longest and most fun chapter to write :) I hope you liked it! As for season 4 and 5 being on YouTube, I have a knack for always hitting the ones that got taken down for copy right so I give up lol. So after an hour of looking, I give up and just wait for it to come on Netflix. Thanks everybody! **


	14. Chapter 14

"Why do you always seem to attract trouble wherever you go?", Arthur asks in an accusing tone. I had finished explaining how I knew what the gar was while we rode this morning. Of course, I left out a few key details he didn't need to know. "Strange women, Gars, assassins, slave traders. What will be next? I'd like to be warned so I can prepare."

"I could ask you the same question. Gwaine has some interesting stories if I do say so myself."

Gwaine snickers behind me. "_Gwaine _is prone to exaggeration.", Arthur says.

"I take offence to that my friend!", Gwaine retorts. I can't help but laugh at their good natured banter. It kept the mood from being depressing after last night.

"You two are worse than children."

Gwaine looks at me with an accusing expression. "Like you and Arthur are any better? You're bickering half the time!"

"Shut up, Gwaine.", Arthur and I say at the exact same time, making Gwaine laugh even harder.

Luckily, no one had died from the events of last night. The worst were a few injured, but nothing Merlin couldn't tend to or wouldn't heal. The only injury I had was my legs being incredibly sore from riding yesterday.

Were were out of the woods now, traveling single file down a trail near a river on a trail surrounded by fields. Everyone seemed to be on high alert and paranoid. After last night, I had earned a bit more of a status among the men. They didn't treat me like a helpless girl anymore. Well, except for Luca. But even he wasn't as annoying as he was before.

The rest of the trip was uneventful, really. We reached Tahara before sundown the next day. People stared as our procession passed. Arthur kept me to the front, making sure the people recognized me. I found it so strange how they did. I'd never even been to Tahara, yet the people seemed to know my face. I couldn't wrap my mind around that I had family here, yet I didn't. My father wasn't really mine. Yet here I was.

The people silently followed behind us to the town center. I dismount, trying my best to look formidable, keeping my chin high. The people gathered around where we stood. Now that I was here, I felt like shying into a corner away from all the eyes expecting me to say something. Speeches weren't my thing.

A man stepped forward, but is meet by the sword of Gwaine in his face. He doesn't seem to notice as he kneels at my feet. "My Queen. I remain loyal to you as I did to your father, rest his soul. I look forward to your rule."

Gwaine looks to me for approval and I nod. He lowers his sword, but doesn't sheath it. "Thank you good sir.", I say.

He smiles, and backs away into the crowd. I scanned the somber faces, all waiting for me to say something. They wanted me to prove myself worthy of their trust. They wouldn't all be as loyal as that one man. They may have had my fathers loyalty, but I would have to earn theirs. In their eyes I was just a young girl, who probably didn't have what it took to lead them. And part of me agreed with them, but that didn't mean I was just going to give up.

"My people. It has come to my attention that some of you may not feel I am yet worthy of your leadership. But I assure you, I will do everything within my power to rule this land with the same diligence as those before me." The words felt foreign, even as they came out of my mouth. Like I was only playing a part. I guess I was.

"You're not Queen yet, so quit your speeches.", snarled a voice. Another man comes forward. He looked terribly angry. "And we had best all hope you never make it to the throne."

The sound of swords being drawn can barely be heard over the cries of alarmed people, all scrambling to back away but none leaving. The man laughs, grabbing a girl, no older than me, next to him and holding a knife to her throat and using her as a shield. She started crying, and I snap.

My sword was in my hands and pointed at him before I knew what I was doing. "Let her go. Now."

For once not even Arthur tells me to back down, instead the all stood behind me backing me up. The man laughs. "Who's bright idea was it to give her a man's weapon? Do you have any idea how ridiculous you look, girl?"

Nobody answers his questions. "You do know that if you do anything to her, you'll die seconds after. Whatever the course of your own actions, the end is still the same for you. Let her go."

If anything, he wasn't an idiot. Mine and Arthur's men had him surrounded, weapons drawn and all pointing at him. Plus there were civilians everywhere, watching us with as much attention as a football fan does the Superbowl. He slowly releases her, and she runs sobbing into the arms of a woman who must be her mother who gave me a grateful smile.

He was restrained within seconds and I put away the sword. Gwaine touches my shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine", I answer as I mount my horse. "We've done all we can for today. Word spreads fast around here. If there are anymore rebels, they'll be gone are forming ranks by tomorrow morning. We can deal with them then."

"Sarah-", he starts, sounding worried.

"_I'm fine._"

Nobody has a better idea then to rest for then night, so we head for the castle. My castle. Even from the distance, I could see it. It was probably to polar opposite of Camelot. Where as the one in Camelot had white walls and looked welcoming, mine was dark and looked more like a fortress then anything. It was built of a dark stone, high walls surrounded it, making it look near impossible to breach. Towers loomed high in the sky, blocking out part of the sun. Green flags bearing the Talbot crest flew proudly at the top of each one, as well as hanging from the walls.

When we reach the gates, they were opened without question. Word of our arrival had reached the walls long before we got there. We were met by applause of the staff, gladly welcoming us. A large woman comes bustling down the stairs, her skirts swirling wildly as she raced towards me.

"Sarah! I could hardly believe it when I heard you were coming!" As soon as my feet touched to ground she smothered me in a bone crushing hug. She pulls back, still gripping my shoulders and examines my face. She picks a piece of grass from my hair. "What happened to you? Don't tell me you went meeting the people looking like you slept in the stables."

I shrugged sheepishly, not knowing what to make of the woman. From Henry's description, her name was Elsa. She had been my nurse maid as a child, or at least she thought she was. I still didn't get how this whole thing worked. Now she ran practically the entire castle and was in charge of the staff. "Maybe."

She looks over at Arthur, looking exasperated. "Stubborn, she is. Even as a small child."

"I noticed." I shoot him a glare, which he responds to with a smirking grin.

"Yes well, we will have rooms prepared for you. I'll send someone for you once their ready." Elsa drags me up the steps and into the front hall, leaving everyone else behind. "We need to get you cleaned up. The council will want to speak with you, and you are not meeting them looking like that." I try to hide my distaste. I guess I asked for politics when I made Arthur bring me, but I really didn't want to deal with it right now.

**Thank you again to everyone :) And welcome to my new followers and reviewers! I seriously love all of you guys.**

**MyLadyAssassin- Thanks for pointing out my mistakes. Grammar is a pet peeve of mine, so I was appalled to see I had made some many in the previous chapter. I went through and fixed any I could find. Feel free to point out any mistakes I miss. Thanks for reviewing!**

**So anyways, there you have it! I'll get the next one up as soon as I write it. :) I have big plans once I get a couple more filler-ish chapters up that I can't wait to write!**


	15. Chapter 15

I didn't think you could die of boredom, until I met the council of Tahara. They droned on for two hours, speaking of nothing but taxes and stupid affairs that were happening within the kingdom. My back hurt from the uncomfortable throne I had to sit on. How did anybody do this?

And the thing was, they didn't even care about my opinion. All they wanted was for to listen to how things were handled so I wouldn't change anything once it was my turn. They didn't like the way Henry was preparing me for the throne, and wanted to correct it. That's why they thought we were in Camelot, to spend my last two years before my coronation readying me to rule.

"Are you listening, your highness?", asks Lord Lewin. He seemed to be the leader of the group, even though the were supposed to be equals, and did most of the talking.

My head pops up, taking me out of my thoughts. "Of course. Please continue."

He looks disgruntled, probably miffed that I hadn't been listening. "We must speak of the matter of your hand."

"My hand?"

"In marriage, of course. You know of the law. By your twenty-first birthday, you must be married The council agrees it would be better to do this sooner, rather than later."

I was too shocked to say anything at first and was pretty sure my mouth was hanging open. Almost none of the twelve men would even look me in the eye. "My Lord, I am only sixteen years old. Surely this can wait a year or two, after the kingdom has settled."

"The kingdom will not settle without an offical ruler. If you marry someone of age, whou could take the throne, he could rule until you come of age. Then you could rule together." Was this seriously happening? I couldn't deal with this on top of everything else. People don't get married at sixteen.

"Your highness, I apologize for my being so forward, but would it be correct that Prince Arthur and you seem to get along well? He would be a suitable match to consider. It would be a wise union that would strengthen both Tahara, and Camelot."

I nearly choked on the glass of water I had picked up. This had just gone from bad, to worse. Arthur? Really? They were suggesting I marry _Arthur _of all people? Ew! And since when did an arranged marriage come into the picture? "With all due respect, gentlemen, Arthur is like a brother to me. I couldn't marry him, or anyone else at the moment. I can not marry someone I do not love."

"It is for the good of all the people, and the kingdom. Surely you understand the importance of the matter.", Lewin says, starting to get very defensive. I got the feeling he was used to things going the way he wanted to.

"A compromise, perhaps.", speaks up another man, whose name I didn't know. He hadn't spoken a single word before now. "The princess is correct. She is young, and has barely begun her life. Let us give her time for her heart to decide. A year or two before the decision must be made. If her hand has not been decided by then, the council may choose." I liked this guy already.

Lord Lewin didn't look happy with this deal, but the rest of the men nodded in agreement. "A wise notion, Lord Pierce. A fair one I believe as well. Don't you think so, Lord Lewin?", says another council member. Lewin doesn't answer him.

"Then do we have an agreement?", Lord Peirce asks, looking to me. I nod. There was nothing else I could do. But now my time before I had to get married went from five years to two. The meeting adjourned and I left the room, tripping over this stupid new dress Elsa had forced me into. Apparently I wasn't dressing correctly for a princess. The thing had more fabric in its skirt than anything I had ever worn, making it bell out from my waist in huge folds. And to make it worse it was so tight around my torso I could barely breathe.

I went up to my room, changing into something less ridiculous and pulling out the pins that held my hair in a braided updo. I redid it by just braiding it in one long braid over my shoulder. I had only one channel to put all of my emotions into lately, and that was a good sword fight. I couldn't handle this much longer. Finished, I headed down to the amory.

I browsed through the racks of swords, but I still prefered mine. It was weird to use a different one. The weight of it had become reasureing, settled between my shoulders. The practice field was full of men, and not just Taharans. Gwaine spots me from where he was speaking to a group of other knights and runs up to me. "Hello, Sarah. Don't you look cheery today."

"Hi Gwaine.", I say, ignoring his comment. He picked right up on my sour mood just from looking at my face. Not that it would have been hard, I'd always been told my expression could be read like a book.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Not at all. I was just going to get some practice in before dinner."

"Ah. Need a partner?"

I raise an eyebrow at him. The only person who actually openly supported me having a weapon before had been Arthur. "Sure."

We faced off, circling each other with swords raised. I let him make the first move, knowing he was more brash than Arthur. He jabbed at my stomach, I turn to the side and he misses. I swing down, hitting his blade with the flat of mine. He wraps his free arm around my waist, swinging me around and dropping me away from him.

"That isn't fair!"

"Who said anything about being fair?"

We were drawing a crowd now. I sliced at his feet, but he jumps over it. He parries my strikes, and I do the same. Blow after blow without either of us getting anywhere. Bets where changing hands now, whoops and encouragements shouted to whomever they were betting on. Most of them were on Gwaine.

I whipped around swinging my blade in a horizontal arc. He blocks it, but only barely. "Nice move.", I grin.

"My Lady, I am sorry to interrupt." We both look up, stopping our fight. Two knights holding a girl between them stood a little of to the side. "She was found trying to sneak in through the servants entrance. She says she knows you."

"Hey short stuff. Good to see you again.", grins the girl. Kayla. The girl I got my sword from. Her red hair was even more wild then the last time I had seen her, and she had been stripped of her weapons. Yet she was still smirking as if she was completely in control of the situation.

"Hello Kayla. It's good to see you to." I nod to the guards. "Let her go. She's with me."

They hesitate, probably not liking that they weren't getting recognized for capturing an intruder. "You heard the princess, boys.", Kayla grins. "Hands off."

Reluctantly, they let go of her arms and give her back her assortment of knives and her sword, which she sets to work re-sheathing all of them back into place. "Who is this?", Gwaine asks curiously.

I shrug. "A friend."

"You have strange friends."

"Thank you.", Kayla says before I can respond. "But we're just acquaintances."

The crowd that had been watching us was now disbursing, grumbling that we hadn't started fighting again. "I'll see you later.", I say to Gwaine. "And we can finish sparring."

He grins. "Of course. I look forward to it."

"What are you doing here anyway?", I ask.

Kayla loops her arm through mine, towing me back to the castle. "I got bored. This seemed much more interesting."

"I thought you told Arthur you didn't go to castles."

She laughs. "No. I said I didn't go to _his _castle. I think I like yours better. The people are much nicer."

"Nicer?", I ask.

"Trust me, I got a much warmer welcome here" I didn't ask, though I was sure it was an interesting story. I didn't want to invade her privacy. "I see you've gotten better with that sword. Arthur has been teaching you well."

"Thanks."

"Rumor is you ran into a gar on the road here. Impressive."

"I didn't. All I did was shoot it from a tree. And it got away."

"Still, impressive. Most girls would have run and hidden."

"Not you.", I point out. She seemed like one to run right straight into danger, instead of running away from it.

"Maybe. You can never tell what a person would do until they are actually in a situatuion that calls for them to act."

**Yeah, I know. The ending sucks. I got slight case of writers block towards the end. But anyways, there it is. :)**


	16. Chapter 16

"You brought Kayla here?", Arthur asks, looking surprised. He was tacking up his horse, preparing to head out to battle. The rebels were forming ranks, camped outside of the city. There was only a few hundred of them, so we outnumbered them three to one. Not that that made me feel any better about them going to war. He assured me it had to be done, and it would be an easy win. Anybody fighting for the rebels that survived would be tried for treason. Still, I wanted to do things peacefully, but there was no way that was going to happen since they formed an army against me.

"No. She came here on her own."

"I suppose it's a good thing that she did. She can keep you out of trouble while we deal with the rebels."

"I don't need to be kept out of trouble! I'll be perfectly fine on my own."

Arthur bursts out laughing. "Of course not. It's perfectly normal for a girl to be attacked on many occasions within a matter of a few months. Not to mention a certain disregard for your own safety."

"You're forgetting you were with me the time I got poisoned and I still almost died and that didn't help anything. And I saved _your_ life from an arrow the same day!"

"Okay, fine. You're not completely helpless. But Kayla is still staying with you.", he says, trying not to laugh. I remember when we used to hate each other. Now when we fought, it was usually good natured. For the most part anyway.

Kayla chose that moment to show up, dressed in one of my dresses. Elsa had gotten to her too, smoothing her hair down to look more manageable. She looked nothing like herself, and wasn't happy about it. She spent half the morning complaining to me about it already. At least I wasn't the only one who had to go through it. "Did I hear my name? Did you two miss me already? How sweet."

Arthur mounts his horse, pointing a finger at the both of us. "Stay."

Kayla crosses her arms in a humph, her face set in a stubborn expression. "I am not a dog, Arthur Pendragon. Do not treat me like one." Arthur rolls his eyes in an exaggerated fashion and gallops off with the first group of men out of the gates. "He is terribly annoying at times.", so says.

"Don't think I haven't noticed."

Someone taps my shoulder, and I spin to find myself face to face with Lord Peirce. He holds a single violet out to me. "My Lady, I fear I have not properly introduced myself. I am Lord Peirce, or Dayton if you prefer."

I take the flower. "Thank you. For more than the flower. It should seem that I am in debt to you."

He shakes his head. "Not at all, my lady. I was a friend of your mothers. She wouldn't have wanted that for you. That flower was her favorite, you know."

It was. My mother, my real mother, adored violets. She used to pick them for hours and use them to decorate everything she could with them. Apparently some things were the same here. "I do. Thank you."

"Think nothing of it." He bows and walks away.

Kayla snatches the flower from my hands, tucking it into my hair. "There.", she grins. "Even if a old guy gave it to you, it still looks pretty with your eyes. I wish mine were blue."

"Come on.", I say, pulling her inside with me. "Let's raid the kitchen. I'm starving." She eagerly follows me. Kayla never said no to food. Cook was out buying new supplies at the market, a job I had learned she never let anyone else do, making it easy for us to grab a few rolls and apples and sneak back out before anybody saw us. We settled into the hall, which was empty now that the council had other business to deal with.

She took a big bite of her roll, staring at me. "So what did you mean you were in debt to Lord Peirce?"

"It's a long story.", I groan, slicing my apple.

"I have nothing better to do.", she says, leaning forward to listen.

I sigh, knowing I would have to talk about it sometime even if I didn't want to. I had a terrible tendency to blurt things out when I was stressed out about them. "He saved me from an arranged marriage."

She coughs on her roll. "They wanted to marry you off? To who?!"

I shrug. "They didn't really know. Whomever they could get first I would guess, but they seemed pretty keen on Arthur."

Her eyes practically bulged out of her head. "Arthur? As in _the_ Arthur? Pendragon? You're joking."

"I'm not. Lord Peirce got them to postpone it, giving me two years to chose a husband for myself. But if I don't, they get to chose instead."

"What prats." We finish our food. "Let's go for a walk. I want to get out of here for a bit."

I roll my eyes. "You know as well as I, that nobody is letting me out of this castle without a full guard."

"Then we get somebody to come with us." I didn't know how she did it, but within thirty minutes we were heading outside with only one knight and our own weapons. It made me uneasy, especially since I didn't know the knight, but I was happy to spend some time outdoors before there was too much snow to even be outside. Kayla grinned triumphantly at me. "I can be quite persuasive, don't you think?."

"I don't think this is such a good idea. Maybe we should just stay here."

She wasn't taking no for an answer. "Nonsense. It'll be fine. We're just taking a stroll down a trail on castle grounds. Technically we aren't even going outside the walls. _And _we need to do something to get your mind off of the men." Reluctantly, I followed her and let her chatter and flirt with the knight. "What is your name?", she asks.

"Rowan, my ladies.", he says, addressing both of us even though I wasn't even paying attention. He fidgeted under his helmet.

"Does it bother you?", Kayla asks.

"Hardly.", he says and takes it off, carrying it under his arm instead. I walked in front of them, tuning out their conversation and pulling up the hood of my cloak. I could see smoke in the distance, even through the branches of the trees. The battle had started. Part of me wished I was there, and another was entirely repulsed by the thought of it.

I turn back, planning on telling Kayla when something catches my eye. Rowan was pulling out a blade, one that wasn't standard issue for my men. Kayla didn't seem to notice with her babbling. Oh gosh, it made sense. None of the other men fidgeted in armor. It was second nature to them to wear it. He was no knight. But then what could he be? An assassin?

I reached back to pull out my sword, but all my fingers found were empty space where it should have been. "Kayla!", I scream. She turned, finding herself face to face with his blade and stumbles back. She goes for her sword, finding it was gone too. She looks to me and I shake my head. My daggers were gone too.

"Get over there.", he orders Kayla, dropping his helmet to the ground. She walks over to me, her hands up.

"Where did our weapons go?"

"No talking!", Rowan yells. "Walk that way." We obey, walking further into the woods with Rowan's sword pointed at our backs.

"I told you this was a bad idea", I whisper, low enough that only kayla could hear me. She makes a face, but didn't look so sure of herself anymore.

"So. This is it? You're just going to kill the both of us?", I say to him. Kayla looks at me as if i've gone crazy. Rowan doesn't answer me. "Can I at least know why?"

"I got paid to. I needed the money."

"Who paid you?" He shakes, not willing to tell me. "I'm going to be dead anyway. You owe me this much. I want to know who did this."

He sighs. "I do not know his name. We never met in person. All I know was he had a position as Lord or something in the palace. I didn't ask many questions."

I stop, turning to face him. He holds the tip of the sword to my throat as a warning. Don't move. "You don't have to do this. It isn't worth it."

"Who are you to say what it is worth? Maybe I _need _this."

I shake my head. "You're even holding the sword wrong. You've never killed a person before, have you? Don't start now." He did something that surprised me. He lowered to sword slightly, hesitating. He was desprate. I could see in his eyes he didn't want to do this.

"No! I have to do it!", he yells, jerking the sword back in my face, cutting into my cheek accidentally. He didn't want to be reasoned with. "I'm so sorry, your highness. I'll make it quick."

"Please. Don't.", I beg, tears rolling down my face and stinging the cut. He swings his arm back, readying to plunge it straight into my heart. I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to be able to tell when it would come. After all that happened, could this really be it? Maybe it really was all a dream. And if I died, I would wake up. Or I would just be dead.

I jumped at a loud crack, my eyes flashing open. Rowan was unconscious, Kyla standing over him with a big stick. She must have snuck up on him with it while he was focused on me. "He was more annoying than Arthur." I hugged her, unable to stop crying. She stood stiff for a minute, before hugging me back. "We need to get back. My guess is nobody knows where we went." I nod, wiping away tears with the back of my hand.

We ran the entire way back, leaving Rowan but taking his weapon. Some of the men were just getting back to the castle from the front lines. Gwaine, Arthur, and Merlin were among them. They spotted us running in through the side gate. "What happened?", Gwaine asks immediately, seeing my bleeding cheek.

"You were supossed to keep her _out _of trouble, Kayla.", Arthur groans.

Kayla gives a quick explanation while we walked inside, not letting me say anything. I didn't care to. I was too busy looking for Elsa while Arthur sent men to retrieve Rowan. Elsa came to me of course, her cheeks flushed red from running around looking for me since I'd been missing for the past hour.

"Where have you been? And what happened to your..."

"Gather the council.", I interrupt.

She gives me a questioning look. "May I ask why? The next meeting isn't for another few weeks. They don't meet often."

"Because. One of them is a traitor."

**Well, that was fun to write :) Hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did writting it!**


	17. Chapter 17

Slowly the council began to file into the hall, their footsteps echoing as they came. One by one I checked them off my list. Once the traitor realized I was gone, I was sure he would bolt. He couldn't be sure how much I knew, and probably wouldn't risk being caught. Elsa came up to where I was pacing. "Dear, we should tend to that cut."

"Leave it."

"But-"

"Please, Elsa. Not now. You can clean me up later." She nods and walks off sulkily. There were now eight of the council here, including Peirce which relieved me. All of them were staying away from me, whispering among themselves.

When it came to the last two men missing, the tension in the room was enough to cut with a knife. Everyone knew that once the last one wouldn't show up, and the search would begin for him. I had a feeling, however, that he wouldn't be found. Once whomever it was realized I wasn't dead, he wouldn't stick around.

When did this become my life? Having to worry about people trying to murder me? The fate of an entire kingdom on my shoulders. Almost two months ago, if I had been told this would happen to me I wouldn't have believed it. I would have kept on going with the same boring routine, nothing ever changing. I didn't know whether or not to think of this as a curse or a blessing. In a way, it was both. What girl didn't dream of a world full of men in shining armor and being a princess? But that whole fantasy had strings attached that were a real deal breaker.

Finally the last man came in, leaving only Lewin missing. I wasn't entirely surprised. The page sent looking for him came running into the room shortly after, reporting not being able to find him anywhere. I thought as much. I left the council in the hall, not wanting to have to deal with picking somebody to replace Lewin. I didn't know anybody well enough to choose the right person for the job, and the council would just ignore my opinion anyway.

I stopped walking when I heard footsteps behind me. It was only Gwaine. He smiled slightly. "Hi." He caught up to me in a few strides, holding up a wet cloth. "Elsa sent you?"

He nods with a sheepish grin. We sat at the bottom of some steps at the end of the hall while he cleaned up my cheek. I winced at the soapy cloth, stinging the cut. "Sorry.", he says. He finishes, setting the cloth aside. "How are you?"

"I'm..." I'm what? Fine? Good? Okay? No I'm not. I'm absolutely not. I felt like crawling in a hole and staying there. Someone tried to freaking _kill _me. Sure, I knew Raul was after me, but that never felt real. Having a sword pointed at you, knowing your life is seconds away from ending. That was an entirely new kind of fear. And it probably wouldn't be the last time I felt it. "I'll live."

Gwaine presses his lips into a tight line, but I don't give him a chance to say anything. "How is the war front?"

"Not much change. Arthur thinks they have a sorcerer, which would explain how their holding up so well with little numbers. It could be worse though." A sorcerer? I never got a break from this. "Sarah, its okay to be scared. You know that, right? You don't have to put up a tough front."

He squeezes my hand reassuringly. I didn't know what to say, so I just nodded blankly. He didn't push me to answer either. That was what I liked about him. He was always there when you needed him, but let you have your space. And he always seemed to know what I was feeling, even though we hadn't known each other very long. We fall into silence, but it wasn't an uncomfortable one. It was just nice to be in each others company. To not be alone.

I don't remember falling asleep, but the next thing I knew I was being gently laid in my bed. I didn't wake up enough to say anything or even open my eyes, only to be aware of what was happening. A pair of lips pressed against my forehead, but as quickly as they were there they were gone. The door clicks shut a moment later and I drift back to sleep.

* * *

I was woken up the next morning to light streaming in through the window, the curtains thrown aside. "Sarah Nicolette, did you honestly sleep in your dress?", says Elsa rhetorically in a scolding voice.

I sit up groggily. "Yes?" She gives me a disapproving look, but doesn't say anything else about it.

This morning I didn't let her dress me. I picked out the simplest thing I had, a light blue dress that looked much like the green one I wore here. I refused the stupid satin slippers she had been making me wear in favor of my leather boots. I didn't have any responsibilities today, but I wanted to go see Rowan. I knew he wouldn't have ever thought of killing someone if he hadn't been so desperate. He didn't deserve death. Maybe I could try to lessen his sentence. I had to at least try. Something just told me I needed to talk to him. An instinct.

Elsa complained about what I was wearing, but I wasn't about to let her dress me up like medieval Barbie if I didn't have to be. But as a compromise, I wore my circlet. It wasn't like the one I got from Raul, it didn't have a single jewel on it. But I liked it anyway. I didn't bother to wear my cloak, even though I had my sword strapped to my back. I had given up caring about people's opinion of it. Even Henry could find out for all I cared anymore.

The guys were already gone, having left at dawn, and Kayla was at the training field. Nobody was around to tell me what to do. I went to the kitchen first, grabbing a plate of meat, some bread, and a pitcher of water.

The dungeon smelled terrible, to say the least. I couldn't imagine being forced to live down here. The pair of guards stood to attention when they saw me. I nodded towards the cell I saw Rowan in. "Open the door." He hesitates. "I only wish to speak with him."

He pulls the keys from his belt and unlocks the door like I asked. Afterward I send the both of them out of earshot.

Rowan doesn't look at me, even as I enter the cell. I sit beside him on the bench, offering him the plate. When he doesn't take it I set it next to him along with the water. "Why?", he asks, still staring at his feet.

"What do you mean?"

"Why would you bring me this? Being kind to me? I don't deserve it."

I shrug. "I don't know. Maybe I feel sorry for you. Maybe I want to help. I don't even know, really."

He looks over at me, pain clear in his eyes. "You feel sorry for me? Anyone else would had my head chopped off by now."

I drew my knees up to my chest, frowning. "I'm not anyone else."

He picks up the bread and eats some of it. "Clearly. Thank you."

I look at him, confused. "You're _thanking_ me?"

He nods slowly. "You were right. I've never wanted to kill anyone before. And you looked so scared. I didn't think I could do it, but I couldn't stop myself. Your friend stopped me. Would you thank her for me? Please? I couldn't live with myself if I had gone through with it."

"Yes. I'll tell her." I get up to leave, but he catches my wrist to stop me.

"You _don't_ understand. I couldn't stop myself. It was like watching someone else doing all of it. It was like-"

"Like magic?", I ask. He nods. I leave, and the guard locks the door behind me and I head go back up the stairs leading to the main floor. Was it all linked? Lewin, Rowan, and Raul? I knew one thing for sure. I wasn't going to let Rowan be executed for something he couldn't control.

**Camoc: Thanks for reading! The show never really says what age Arthur or any of the characters are. So I'm going for maybe 20. Age doesn't matter as much in a place like Camelot where everyone grows up pretty fast :)**

**musicnlyrics: But I love cliffies! :) at least on fanfiction. If you give me a cliffie at the end of a season or book, then they are really evil! **

**MyLadyAssassin: Precisely my reason for not putting her there. Besides, I don't think she could emotionally handle killing anyone at this point. But I have big plans ;)**


	18. Chapter 18

To say the castle was in chaos would be an understatment. People were running around everywhere. It was darker than usual at night because any available torch was being used to light the towers and walk ways. And there were screams. Terrible screams.

The rebels had gotten help, an entire army of it. No one knew who they were, but they now outnumbered us terribly. They had pushed our forces all the way back to the castle, but hadn't driven them inside quite yet. It wouldn't be long until they did, though. Most of the town had fled to outer villages or taken refuge in the castle, but there wasn't much room for them. The great hall had been turned into a makeshift hospital for the wounded. Women from town helped out as nurses to the physician and Elsa. That was were I had been since it started, seeing as it was the only place anyone would let me help. I needed to keep my hands busy or I'd go insane with worry.

There was blood everywhere and on everyone. A steady stream of more wounded victims never seemed to stop. I let Elsa order me around, cleaning and binding cuts, giving tonics, fetching food and water, placing cool cloths on foreheads to cool a fever. I wasn't much of a nurse, but it was the most anyone would let me do.

Suddenly a huge crash echoed across the castle, making me jump. I ran out into the courtyard to see what was happening, even asking a few knights. No one knew so I ran up to one of the towers to look, only to be stopped by a sentry. "I'm sorry my lady. It's to dangerous for you to be up here."

"What's happening? I heard the crash."

He grimaces. "They have a catapult. It isn't big, but their launching rocks at the walls. They held, but they'll launch more."

I nod and walk back down the stairs and to the hall. I didn't even want to think about what would happen if they breached the castle. But we only had a thin line of men left fighting outside of the wall, and they were beginning to retreat inside to safety. Everyone was tired, we weren't able to hold them off anymore. The castle. wouldn't be safe for much longer if things kept going the way they were.

Another crash and the doors were opened. My men and the men of Camelot come racing through the doors, save a brave and stupid few who refused to retreat. More injured were brought into the hall, and exhausted men collapsed wherever they could to rest.

An hour blurred by, faces of those I helped melted together. I was barely aware of what I was doing as I went into a robotic state. A defence mechanism, I guess. To keep from thinking about what was going on. My dad always did the same thing. Elsa came over to me while I was bandaging a mans arm. I remembered when it was Merlin doing that for me. It seemed so long ago. "Go and rest for a while, child. I'll finish."

I didn't argue as she removed my hands from the bandages and did the rest herself. He winced at her less gentle hands. I'd been afraid of hurting him, Elsa was a different story.

I pretty much collapsed on the floor, leaning against a wall outside the hall. The only good thing about this stupid war was Rowan's trial was suspended. I could have gone to sleep right there after the day I had, but I heard my name being called. Merlin was running towards me, looking panicked. His face was smudged with dirt. I dragged myself to my feet, knowing something was wrong.

"What happened?"

"It's Gwaine.", he pants, grabbing my arm and pulling me to the courtyard. My heart stopped, seeing Gwaine leaning heavily on Arthur. Blood plastered to his temples, his hair matted in it. I pull free from Merlin and over to them. He was ghostly pale and limping along, about to collapse. I sling Gwaine's other arm over my shoulders, distributing part of his weight on me. I didn't ask what happened either. That would waste time. What was important was to get him to Elsa.

"Sarah", he moans as we lay him down on a cot.

"Shh. Sit still.", I order as I examine the wound. The cut wasn't very deep, but I would bet he had a concussion.

"He twisted his ankle. Got hit on the head while he was down.", Arthur explains. Elsa was busy, so Merlin and I had to manage by ourselves. I worked on setting and wrapping his ankle while Merlin took care of his head.

Another crash echoed. Women screamed. If they didn't run out of rocks soon, they'd get in. Arthur seemed to read my thoughts as I finished with Gwaine. "We need to get out of here. Before they breach the walls. Women and childern are already being evacuated through the sevants exit. But only a few can get through before they march to that side of the castle. They don't have us to focus on anymore."

"I'm not leaving everyone here to die while I runaway."

"You're no good to anyone if you get captured or killed. You're the last heir of Tahara. If you get away, that gives them hope."

I squeeze my eyes shut and sink to the floor next to Gwaine. I didn't want to leave. How could I? But I couldn't ignore the truth in what he said either. "So that's it then? We just give up? Go back to Camelot?"

"Not give up. Give us time to get stronger and gather forces. Come back and retake the castle when we actually have a chance."

I sighed in defeat, knowing this was a battle I wasn't going to win. "How do we get out?" He looks surprised I gave in so quickly.

He doesn't answer me, instead getting to his feet. "I'll be right back.", he says, pulling a protesting Merlin along with him.

"Sarah", Gwaine says again. His voice was hoarse, cracking on the last syllable of my name. He slips his hand into mine, and I squeeze it. It was my turn to comfort him.

"You're going to be okay.", I tell him. "I promise."

He searches my face, as if trying to memorize it. I was sure I looked like a complete mess. I hadn't bothered to even braid my hair, just tying it back with a leather cord in a pony tail. Dark strands of it had escaped from the tie, falling in my face. My dress had blood on it, and I didn't even know who it belonged to. And I hadn't been able to sleep much since the fighting began right outside almost two days ago. "Stay?", he croaked.

I nod. "I won't leave you." He smiles faintly, closing his eyes. He hadn't rested much either, so I let him sleep. He needed it if we were going to run, because there was no way I was leaving him here. Not when we were hours from being overcome. A few days ago, nothing could spoil his good mood. Now he was barely able to stay conscious long enough to say a few words.

When Arthur came back, he had Elsa in tow. He and Merlin both had big sacks slung over their shoulders. Gwaine looked so peaceful I hated having to wake him up. The boys handed Elsa and I the sacks, which were so heavy I nearly buckled under their weight. Arthur goes to take mine back, but I back out of his reach. He shrugs and helps get Gwaine up. He turned a terrible green color and they went to set him back down. "No, no.", he says. "I'm good enough."

Arthur looked worried, but listened to him. It wasn't like we had much of a choice. I just hoped Gwaine would realized his limits and not outdo himself. Otherwise we wouldn't make it far. Elsa lead us to a part of the castle I had never been in, the servant quarters. It was nestled in the back, farthest away from the front gates as possible. We followed her through narrow hallways, not passing a soul, until she finally stopped a door. She searched through her keys until she found the right one and unlocked the door. Inside was innocent enough. A reasonably sized room with two small beds, a table, and two chairs were the only furniture. A quilt hung on the back wall, showing off embroidery work.

She shut the door after us, and the guys lay Gwaine on one of the beds. The sacks were opened and clothing was poured out onto the extra bed. A knock on the door made everyone jump, but it was only Kayla. She entered without a word and I turned my attention back to the clothes. Among other things, there was three sets of armor. The same Armor the enemy soldiers were wearing.

"You've been planning this.", I say to Elsa. She nods guiltily.

"I wanted to be prepared. Just in case."

Nobody needed any other explanation. The three of us girls turned our backs while they changed, and then helped Gwaine into his. There wasn't any time for privacy. When they were finished they did the same for us, but it was only Kayla and I going. Elsa flat out refused to leave. This was her home, and if it fell she did too. She had gathered two dresses, cloaks, two pairs of shoes, and a few other things to keep us warm. They were so plain if anyone saw us, they wouldn't think we were more than any other common person. Peasants. Elsa was a genius.

Mine was a bit big on me. Whoever it had belonged to had been taller and had wider shoulders. I had to roll up the sleeves a few times. Kayla handed my a belt, which helped a little bit. The shoes were warm and comfortable. They also had pretty good traction, great for running. The cloak was fur lined, and extremely warm. The entire outfit was a bit beat up, but I didn't mind. It was comfortable.

When we finished we started to head out of the room, but Elsa stopped us. She pulled aside the quilt, revealing a door. It didn't have a handle or knob to open it, but when she pressed on a spot near the top of the frame it clicked open, revealing a dark tunnel. "This was built in case we were under seige for a water supply. It leads to a cave with a small lake. But be careful, you'll come out on Greco's land."

Merlin groans. Greco remained neutral in most wars, refusing to ally with anyone. But he didn't take kindly to foreigners on his land. We wouldn't get much mercy if we got caught by his men. Elsa fetches two packs filled with supplies and gives them to Kayla and I. We sling them over our shoulders. Kayla went into the tunnel first, lighting our way with a torch. The guys go next, supporting Gwaine between them.

Elsa pulled me in for a hug before I followed. "Be careful. I hope to see you again someday."

For a moment I wanted to cry. Elsa was so much like a mother to me it hurt. I didn't want to leave her behind. I didn't want to leave anyone behind. Arthur yelled back at me, telling me to hurry up. "Someday.", I tell her. And I follow them into the dark.

**I just realized how much I want to do with this is going to take a _lot _of chapters. This shall be fun :) Plus I've been on an updating roll. 3 chapters in 4 days! I can't believe I've written 18 chapters already, and it already had more words than my other story with 23 chapter. So anyways, thanks for reading! **


	19. Chapter 19

Even if the rebel's did breach the castle, there was little chance that they would find the tunnel. And it wasn't like anyone could tell them where we went. Only Elsa knew, and she wouldn't give us up. Still, we all agreed we needed to hurry. This wasn't the ideal place to fight if it came to it. I felt trapped down here.

Being behind everyone else, I felt vulnerable. I couldn't shake the feeling, so I drew a dagger from my one of calve sheaths. I didn't have much experience with them, they were really just a back up, but I didn't feel like lugging the sword around in a tight space. Having it in my grip made me feel stronger somehow.

Nobody was really talking, adding to the creepiness of the place. I felt like a zombie or something would jump out at me any minute. We did hear the occasional squeak of a rat, but I was the only one that seemed to bother.

"That's not good.", says Kayla, breaking the quiet. I stand on my tip toes, trying to see around the boys. They took up the entire width of the tunnel and were all so tall I couldn't see around them at all.

"You have got to be joking.", Arthur complains as he and Merlin set Gwaine down, propping him up against the wall. I saw the problem. The tunnel probably hadn't been used in years, and there was a partial cave-in. You could still see through to the other side through gaps in the rocks, but there was no way to get a person through. Arthur digs at the stone, pulling one out and shoving it into Merlin's arms. Merlin sets in on ground on the other side of Gwaine.

"Build another wall here.", Merlin instructs. "If anyone comes they'll only see a cave-in and won't think we came this way."

Arthur gives him a look of shock. "Who are you and what have you done with my servant? Something intelligent actually came out of your mouth, there is no way your actually Merlin."

"Don't be such a bully.", I scold him. Merlin smirked at him, which got ignored by Arthur shoving another rock into his hands.

"I'm not a bully! I only pointed out a fact. Merlin isn't known for many bright ideas"

"Oh please! That was insulting. I think you owe him an apology." Merlin snickers.

"Stop it! Both of you!", Kayla snaps. "We have bigger things to worry about right now."

She was right, of course. We took shifts moving the rocks."Let me help.", Gwaine offers, trying to get himself to his feet.

I scowl at him. "The only thing you're doing is resting."

"Sarah-"

"You're injured. Who do you think is winning this argument?", he sinks back to the floor without a word, watching us move the rocks.

My arms started to feel like noodles, and soon Kayla and I had to help each other just to move anything. Sweat made her face shinny and her hair stick to her face. I probably didn't look any different.

Finally, we called it good enough when it was mostly to the ceiling. We all collapsed on the floor. We had no way of telling what time it was, but my guess was around sunrise. Kayla passed around bread and water skins. I sat down next to Gwaine, wanting to make sure he ate. He needed it more than I did. I hand him a slice, which he takes and slowly begins to eat.

"How's the ankle?" I ask.

"Better than my head."

"Can I look? It probably needs to be re-wrapped by now to keep down the swelling." He nods so I ease off his boot carefully. He winces slightly as I slide his heel out, but tries to hide it. The wrappings had come pretty loose. He watched me as I replaced them with new ones.

"Is it broken?", he asks.

"No. At worst it's a bad sprain."

He chuckles. "I never thought of you being the nursing kind."

I shrug. "I'm not. I was just helping Elsa all day. Can't be helping in a hospital without learning a few things."

Arthur decided we all needed to sleep for a while before heading out again. Everyone was too tired to disagree. It was as safe as it could be, and decently warm. Exhaustion overtook me first out of anyone. And I dreamed.

* * *

_In my dream there was a woman. She was beautiful. Her long caramel colored hair cascaded down her back in ringlets. She was wearing a dress similar to those I had been wearing since I'd gotten to Camelot. Her eyes, I realized, where the exact same shade of dark blue as mine. I followed her as she rushed through the trees, but she didn't notice me. She looked scared, and you could tell by her demeanor she was running from something. Or someone._

_The thumping of hooves hitting the ground sounded in the distance, but it wouldn't be long before they caught up. The woman looked scared and quickened her pace, expertly weaving through trees and plants. She knew this place well._

_In her arms, she clutched a bundle of blankets. A cry from them would tell any idiot it was a baby. As the horses appeared in the distance, she panicked and dove into some bushes, trying desperately to hide herself. Her face wore a terrified expression as she tried to hush the tiny child._

_By the time the horses had arrived by her hiding place, they had slowed down to scan the area. They were looking for her. She held one of her fingers in the baby's mouth, allowing him to chew on it. At least I guessed it was a boy, he had a boyish look to his face. _

_A man on one of the horses was frighteningly familiar. Not entirely the same, he looked much younger, but the same man none the less. Raul. He makes a disapproving clicking sound with his tongue. "Julianna. Hiding from me won't do any good. You know it won't."_

_Julianna closes her eyes, as if it would make him go away. Raul dismounts from the horse, scanning the surroundings. His eyes skim right over Julianna, who was holding her breath to keep from being heard._

_The baby let out a content coo. Her eyes fly open wildly, hoping Raul hadn't heard. But he did. Two men also dismounted, trudging into the bushes to pull heer from them. She screamed, trying to keep hold on the baby as it was pulled from her arms by a third man. "NO!", she shrieked, giving into hysterics. "Not my baby! Please! Take me! Take me!"_

_ She was shoved to the ground at Raul's feet, falling flat on her face. The baby was placed in his arms, which he took in disgust. "Really, Julianna. He looks just like his swine of a father, Talbot. You could have done much better if you had listened to me."_

"_You can not control me anymore, Father! I married Devon! I love him! Nothing you can do will change that. Nothing." Raul slapped her, leaving her cheek beat red._

_"I am your Father. And no daughter of mine will speak to me with such disrespect."_

_"Please don't kill my baby. Please." She fell quiet, weeping. Raul studied the baby, a curious expression taking place of the angry one._

_"Death would be too easy for this child. Yes. I do think I have another form of punishment in mind. One that will punish for generations. Your defiance will be felt by every descendant whom touches the sword of your husband.", He reaches out his hand towards his men. One of them places a sword in his hand and takes the baby from him. A sword I knew._

_Julianna starts weeping with a newly found sorrow. "Not that. Please not that! It is too cruel a fate! Punish me!"_

_"You should have listened to me daughter. This is your punishment as well as his."_

* * *

"Wake up! Wake up, Sarah!" I wake up, mid-scream. A hand clamps over my mouth to silence me. My eyes flash open, relaxing when I find it was only Merlin. "You were having a nightmare.", He says, moving away to sit on the other side of the tunnel.

I sit up, trying to calm myself and slow my breathing. Everyone else was still sleeping. "Did I wake you?"

He shakes his head and shrugs. "I couldn't sleep anyway." I nod, hugging my knees. "Do you want to talk about it?", he asks.

"It was nothing."

"Okay."

Okay, it wasn't nothing at all. It was terrible. And I felt like I couldn't breath. It had felt so real. And if it was real... I didn't want to even think about what it meant if it was. I didn't really have time to dwell on it anyway. Soon we were moving again, but at a bit of a faster pace than last night.

"Gwaine isn't going to be able to keep this up much longer.", Merlin says. But everyone knew that already. He was getting weaker the longer we went. By the time we got to the lake Elsa told us about, Kayla's torch had nearly gone out. It wasn't deep, barely to my waist, but the water was freezing. And there was no way around it to get outside. "Who's up for a swim?", Merlin says sarcastically.

"I'm going ahead to scout for trouble. Can you girls handle Gwaine?" We don't say anything, just take his arms and sling them over our own shoulders. He had to stoop a bit more, since we were both shorter, but we managed. Arthur slowly walks further into the water. He doesn't complain, but he gets really stiff. Good thing the so called 'lake', was only about thirty feet across.

Merlin followed him, complaining loudly about it. Next was us with Gwaine. We eased him into the frigid water slowly, but he didn't even react to it. His steely expression didn't change. We give up on the whole slow thing and just get in. Our skirts got insanely heavy, and we struggled to trudge on.

_Hypothermia, hypothermia, hypothermia. _I suppressed a shiver.

Suddenly, Gwaine goes stiff. Both Kayla and I can't hold him up. His back arches, wrenching him from my grip backwards into the water. "Gwaine!", I scream.

I take a breath, diving under. I found him right away through the murky water, and grip his armor. But he was extremly heavy by himself, not to mention at least thirty extra pounds of armor. I couldn't pull him up.

A pair of hands grab me by the arms, wrenching me away from Gwaine and above the surface. Merlin. Arthur was already under, pulling an unconcious Gwaine up with him. I let Merlin pull me to the bank on the other side, barely inside the mouth of the cave. It was gloomy, and impossible to tell what time of day it was. I shivered uncontrollably as Merlin pulled a blanket from one of the packs and wrapped it around me.

"What happened?", I ask stupidly as Kayla helped Arthur drag Gwaine out of the water. He was fine just a minute ago.

"He needs Gaius. I don't know."

"Gaius is three days away on horseback. And we don't have any.", Arthur snaps back.

"Don't fight!", I yell. The both shoot me guilty looks. "We need to do something."

Arthur sighs. "There's a field hospital half a mile west from here. You can see it from outside."

"But that would be..." He wouldn't be that stupid. The only people that camp could belong to were rebels. And they were dressed like them. "Oh."

"You two go on ahead. Head north, towards Camelot. We'll catch up when we can."

"No! I'm not leaving all of you here. If you get caught, or recognized, you'd be executed on the spot."

"Gwaine needs help. And _you _would definitely be recognized. It's a risk, but also the only way. Go with Kayla."

"Arthur-"

"Sarah, so help me, I will-"

"She'll come.", Kayla cuts in. "Won't you, Sarah?" I looked at Gwaine's motionless form, the steady rise and fall of his chest didn't mean much. If he didn't get help soon, he probably wouldn't last much longer. Did they always have to be right?

"Fine."

**Not my favorite chapter, but I hope you liked it anyway :) I wrote most of it after midnight when I couldn't sleep, so sorry if it's a bit incoherent or not very well written. I'll fix it later.**


	20. Chapter 20

The boys started heading west towards the camp before we left, carrying Gwaine between them. The sun had barely set, and the full moon was rising."Don't do anything stupid.", I called after them. I laughed slightly when I didn't get a single response from either of them of them. If I didn't laugh I would cry. I didn't want to let them carry out their plan. But this was no time to be stubborn.

Kayla and I stayed in the cave until our clothes were mostly dry. After a while she nodded towards the woods to the north. "We should go. The sooner we get to Camelot the better. They'll be tracking us soon if they aren't already."

The cave was hidden in the woods, surrounded by small cliffs. True to Arthur's word, you could see the camp from outside in the distance, lit up with campfires. But they wouldn't be able to see us. At least the moon was bright enough to give an eerie glow to everything, letting us see a bit better once our eyes adjusted. We didn't dare light a fire or anything just in case someone decided to come investigating.

I was still shivering from our little 'swim'. And while my clothes were dry for the most part, my hair was still pretty soaked.

"Do you think they've taken the castle over yet?", Kayla asks.

Honestly, yes I did. But another part of me was still clinging to hope that they hadn't. I felt like a failure. The entire reason I'd come in the first place was to keep the peace, and it resulted in a war. People died, Gwaine was injured, and now I didn't even have a place to call my own. If I didn't get it back I'd be dependant on Arthur and Henry for the rest of my life. _Not _ a pleasant thought. "Yes.", I say sulkily. Besides, what did it say about me if I couldn't even protect my people? I ran like a coward.

Kayla seems to notice it was a touchy subject leaves it alone. I wasn't exactly in a good mood after the past few days.

We agreed to stay off the main roads as much as we could, just in case. Better to take longer than to get caught. I had no clue where I was going, so I had to trust Kayla's sense of direction.

After a while we start hearing voices and the pounding of feet. We both share a glance, knowing the other had heard it too. She raises her finger to her lips, telling me to be quiet. She walks ahead, going to see what it was. I grab her wrist. If we got too close, we would be spotted. And we couldn't tell whether or not it would be anyone friendly. She looks back at me, confused. I shake my head, telling her to stay put and started climbing a tree. She chuckles in amusement and follows me up.

We settle on a branch to get a better look. Kayla grimaces, having not realized we were so close to a road. It was packed with people, horses, and wagons. Crowds of women and children seemed to be heading south-eastern direction, by my guess. There was an occasional solider headed the other way, towards Camelot. They were all walking with torch light, and all seemed to be in a hurry. Kayla grunts in frustration, and climbs back down. I take in the sight a bit longer before coming down after her.

I follow her away from the road, not speaking until we were a considerable distance away. "Their sending away refugees.", she says. "Probably into Tahara now that they have the city. They must be planning a battle somewhere else and wanted them out og the way." I grimace.

"But why would they be coming through Greco's land? He usually wants nothing to do with other kingdom's wars, and definitely wouldn't aid anyone."

She shrugs. "How would I know? But we can't consider anyone as a friend until we get to Camelot. No more risks."

Kayla flinched when we hear the whinny of a horse close to us. She seizes my wrist and pulls me back towards a tree. The leaves were long gone, but the shadows of the night would hide us even if we didn't go too far up. As we feared it was a small group of knights, bearing a crest I haven't seen before. One of them dismounted and grabbed a torch. Lit up, we could see he was dressed differently than the rest of the me. He wore no armor and the clothes he did have were ragged. They were using him for something. He moved like a dog, smelling things and crouching down to examine the ground. He straightened after a while, turning towards the other men.

"The trail ends here, my lords. I would assume they are close. The males aren't with them anymore. It should be easy enough to find them." Kayla swears under her breath, but I could hear. We stayed still, hardly daring to blink.

When they moved on to search, we slowly came back down. "We need to get back to the road.", she says.

"I thought we agreed roads were bad. Besides, we'd stick out like sore thumbs headed in the opposite direction as everyone else."

She scowls. "Then we don't actually go on the road, only follow it. If we don't mix our sent with some other people, it won't be long until they catch us. They have a Lycanthrope with them."

"A _what?_", I ask. I had no idea what that meant.

"Descendant of a werewolf. My guess is he can't transform, the blood is too diluted, but he still has slight canine instincts and sharpened senses. He'll be better than any human tracker, and if we don't throw him off we're as good as dead already."

So we follow the road, staying out of sight of the people. The trees and darkness hid us well enough. It wasn't long until we spotted the lights of a small village not far ahead. Tents were pitched outside of it, sheltering some refugees while others trekked on. We decided to take a chance and find somewhere to stay for the night. Hopefully they wouldn't be able to find us with so many people around.

Soon we were mixed into the crowds, just a few more faces nobody really cared about. I relished in the knowledge that nobody knew who I was. Nobody cared if I had a title. I was just like any other girl here, and nobody paid me any attention.

The town was small, just a few shops, a tavern, and a boarding house at it's center. We went to the boarding house first, deciding to pay for horses in the morning. Kayla made me stay outside on the porch while she haggled over the price of a room. Even at night, the dirty streets were teeming with people. My guess was it wasn't always like this, but with the floods of people coming through made it so busy.

Kayla came out a minute later, dangling a key on her finger with a gloating expression on her face. "Got him to cut the price in half."

I raised an eyebrow. "And how did you manage to do that?"

She crosses her arms with a smirk. "I have my ways." She laughs at my horrified expression. "I stayed here on my way to Tahara."

I was too tired to ask exactly what she meant as I followed her inside and up a set of rickety stairs. Our room was small, containing only a wide bed, a rug, and a bedside table. Even the walls were free of any decoration. I dropped the sack on th floor as soon at the door was bolted behind us and collapse on the bed. Kayla kicks off her boots and does the same.

I tried falling asleep, I knew I needed the rest, but it wouldn't come no matter how tired I was. My brain just wouldn't turn off, even as I heard Kayla's breath slow to a steady rise and fall. I couldn't help but think about that stupid dream. And I was scared I would see it again if I went back to sleep. That baby was sent to my world, or whatever it was called. And that would make him my however many greats grandfather. Who knew how many generations ago that was. And that also meant Raul was my grandfather too.

_No. _The idea utterly repulsed me. Blood doesn't always make family. He wouldn't be my grandfather to me no matter what. I'd sooner claim Henry as my actual Uncle, and we weren't really related.

And then there was the boys. I couldn't stop worrying about them. Especially Gwaine. I hated not knowing what was happening to them. If they were even safe. But of course they weren't, all three of them were masquerading as the enemy right under their noses.

I sigh, rolling over in the bed. It was much better than the floor of the cave I had slept on yesterday at least. Then again I actually got some sleep then.

The next morning I had barely slept at all. We slowly cleaned ourselves up and gathered our things before heading downstairs to give back the room key. We were just about to walk down the stairs when we hear a loud bang, as if the door was kicked in. Kayla stopped dead in her tracks, making me slam into her. She crouches down, peering through the spokes that help up the railing. I bent down too, straining to get a look without being seen.

A man strode into the room, scanning the area with cold, calculating eyes. Everything about his appearance was dark. His eyes, hair, even his clothes. His skin was an tanned olive tone that let anyone know he spent a lot of time in the sun. He couldn't be much older than Arthur, but carried himself with the manner of a man much older and experienced. They way he looked at everything, as if it was all his for the taking scared me. When he finishes looking around her walks up to the desk where the house manager kept his keys. The manager doesn't look up from his paper work until the man slammed his fist down on the table.

"What do you lot want? I don't have any rooms left.", he says in grouchy tone.

"Two girls were seen in the area last night. One brunette, one with fiery hair. They had the great misfortune of falling behind their caravan and we were sent to collect thm. If you gave them board, point me to their room. I can assure you a reward for your cooperation." I caught my breath. Liars. How did they keep finding us so quickly?

The manager scowled defiantly. "I want nothing to do with you and your filthy money! I'm an honest man, I am, and I know what you're up to! Besides, I have many women boarding here. Been swarming the town, lately. Can't tell em apart after a while even if I wanted to." He was covering for us. Lying. Why would he do that? I'd never even spoken to him myself. Only Kayla had, and she wasn't exactly the kind of girl you'd take right under your wing. She liked to take care of herself.

The dark man doesn't seem surprised with this answer, or even angry. It was almost like it was what he expected. someone tugged on my arm, a young woman. Kayla stands quietly. The woman motions for us to follow her. It wasn't like we had much choice, seeing as the alternative was going downstairs.

She led us down the back stairway, meant for the employees. It led out back, to a separate building, probably for the manager and his family. Once we were outside, we quickly ran for the house. As soon as the door was closed behind us.

"Why are you helping us?", I asked as we followed her upstairs, unable to stop myself from blurting out the question.

"Men use women as pawns in their wars too often. I have my own reasons, ones I don't wish to share. But anything I can do to thwart Raul and his, I will. You can trust my motives, Princess Sarah."

"You know who I am?", I ask, horrified. If she knew, then who else did? How long would be until those men asked the right person?

"I saw your sword poke out of your cloak last night, my lady, and I guessed. When you got here last night. Many of us have heard the stories of your battle with the gar. Word of it spread like wildfire. You can trust my brother and I. We won't give you up." Kayla laughed slightly and shot me a look that said '_I told you so_'. She'd said as much when she first showed up at the castle. She pulled down a trap door that lead to the attic at the end of the upstairs hall. "You. can both hide here until they leave. Quickly, though. It won't be long before they come looking."

**This was just kind of another filler chapter. The next one will be better, I promise!**


	21. Chapter 21

I held my breath as I heard the stomping of feet against the wooden floor below me. Kayla and I hardly dared to blink. When they went away, I nearly jumped out of my skin when the door was pulled open, revealing the woman who let us hide here. Kayla jumped down and I followed. How they managed not to find us, I would never know. Maybe they didn't have that Lycanthrope with them this time, though that was unlikely.

Wordlessly, we followed the woman into one of the rooms. She didn't look older than twenty, but the worry lines spoke for themselves. She'd been through a lot. She opened up a truck, pulling out a pile of neatly piled clothes and hands them to me. "These should fit you. My brother was small." Brother? Sure enough the clothes were for a guy. She notices my confused look. "They're looking for a pair of girls. They won't think twice about two boys. And bind your chests flat, just in case."

It was so perfect. I wished I had though of it before. Besides, who was I to turn down a chance to wear pants again? I thanked her before she left the room to let us change. I was more careful this time to hide the rune than before, keeping the shoulder away from Kayla's line of sight as I wrapped my chest with a long piece of cloth. I didn't know what her reaction to it would be, no matter how much I trusted her by now. The clothes fit me just fine, as she said they would. Better than the dress did, anyway. Kayla plaited my hair into two braids and wrapped them around my head then pinned hem flat. Under a hood you would never know. I did the same to hers, and we examined each other.

Kayla giggled a little. "You look like a thirteen-year-old little boy. You're face is too feminine"

"You don't look much older!", I complain.

The woman was waiting for us when we came out. She nodded in approval. "Perfect. Just try not to walk like girls, that'll give you away."

I nod, understanding. I owed her so much. Without her I didn't want to think of where I would be right now. "Thank you. May I know your name? Once this is over, I'd like to send you compensation for your trouble. Whatever you wish."

"There's no need for that, I'm happy to help you any way I can. But my name is Celine." I respected that. But I would still try to send something if I got back to Camelot.

"I won't forget everything you've done. I wish you the best."

"And you, my lady."

I grimace, hating the title. It seemed I would never escape it. It followed me everywhere I went. "It's just Sarah. You don't need to call me any different."

Celine smiles a little, which made her look much younger and prettier. "Goodbye then, Sarah. May luck follow you both on your journey."

The road was packed with people just as it was yesterday. Nobody gave us a second glance when we passed, which gave me a bit of hope. Maybe we could make it to Camelot after all. Waltz through right under their noses. We bought horses with some coins Elsa had placed in our pack. That woman seemed to have prepared for everything.

Another advantage to being a boy? No stupid side-saddles. I was rather enjoying being able to straddle the horse, allowing me to hold on much better, rather than having my legs hang over the side uselessly simply for the sake of being lady like. I still wasn't the greatest rider, but I was getting along better than I had before.

We were stopped abruptly by a group of knights on patrol. They searched our bags, making me nervous. We didn't have anything with us that would give us away, but I couldn't help fidgeting as one of them rifled through my saddle bags. Once he finishes he nods approvingly at his superior and moves away. I try not to look too relived. Kayla was standing beside her horse, waiting for permission to mount up and continue on our way.

"You're names ages, boys?", asks the leader.

"My name is Kendal, and I am sixteen. My brother, Alexander, is fourteen.", Kayla answers in a fake gruff voice, giving me an extra year from her original assessment of my looks. It wasn't my fault I was short.

"Old enough.", one of them mutters.

Kayla cocked her head questioningly, but doesn't say anything. Neither do I. "Congratulations boys. You've been enlisted."

"My brother is too young for that!", Kayla snaps instantly.

"Age was just lowered. We need every man, every sword that can be spared. You should both be honored.", but even as the man said it, I could see the sneer on his face. They made us follow them to an encampment. It sprawled out along a valley, full of knights. An army. I shuddered to think of what it would be used for. Many of the men looked to be like us. Enlisted last minute and shipped here. Many of them were young too, barely old enough to be considered more than kids. They clutched their weapons as if they were a lifeline. Maybe they would be when the time came. The thought sickened me.

Once inside the camp, we were no longer the concern of the party that brought us here. They left us alone. "This is just great.", I mutter. She doesn't disagree. We stay apart from the others, speaking to no one. I wasn't surprised when the men who were looking for us at the boarding house showed up, the Lycanthrope now in tow. I hadn't seen him at the boarding house. The man who enlisted us looked surprised to see him, and came out to meet him.

"Meliorn. What are you doing here? Still on the hunt, I see."

So that was Mr. Scary's name. Meliorn glared down the other man. "I wouldn't be so quick, Malik. Our tracker picked up their scent not far from here. Seems they have slipped through your fingers as well." That didn't make Malik very happy.

"I'll double patrols. If their around here, they'll be found."

Meliorn shook his head, laughing. "You are a fool. This isn't just some girl. You do know what family she belongs to, don't you? Do not underestimate her because she is female."

Malik pales. "Of course not. I'll make sure my men take the threat seriously." It was hard not to smirk. These men thought I was worth extra precaution. Yet part of me knew that was bad. It wouldn't make things any easier. Yet I stood well within their sight, and they didn't even realize it. "Come, Meliorn. You must be tired. Let us speak of the seige on Camelot in the comfort of my tent."

The dark man nods in agreement, following the other further into the camp. I stood there with my eyes wide. "Alexander?" It took me a minute to notice she was speaking to me between my sheer shock and my little recognition of the fake name. I look over at her, and she grimaces.

"They won't be able to take Camelot the way they took Taharah. They'll be prepared.", She whispers harshly, pulling me out of hearing range of anyone's ears.

"Not if they don't know.", I hiss back. "We need to warn them."

She huffed indignantly. "We can't do that if we get caught. I know what you want to do, and I won't let you."

"Then don't look" I walked away, following the men to the tent. I needed to know their strategies if I wanted to be any use. Just knowing there would be an attack coming wouldn't be enough. Taharah was proof of that, and for now it was lost. I wouldn't let the same happen again. Kayla stomped after me, bent on getting me to stop. But I was sick of doing everything other people's way. No more hiding. No more running. I was going to do something useful for once.

Being in the middle of their home court made them lazy. Not a single guard was posted around the tent, and the rest of the men were to busy eating around fires to notice us. I crept silently around the back, straining to listen. Kayla was right on my heels, having realized I wouldn't listen to her.

They weren't even speaking of battle plans, much to my disappointment. "Raul will be quite angry if we fail in bringing her to him.", says Meliorn. I flinch at Raul's name. I had been right. Raul was connected with all of this, somehow. And he was still after me. But now it seemed he prefered to send others to do his work for him.

"_We?"_, Says Malik, clearly not liking the inclusion. "He appointed you and that beast of yours to find her. Not me."

"She is somewhere in _your_ camp, Malik. My _beast, _as you call him, found trace of them here. Wouldn't it be a shame for you to be held responsible for letting her slip through your fingers?" Silence proved that Malik didn't like this idea at all. Kayla tugged on my sleeve, wanting to leave. I shook my head. We might hear something useful.

"I have better things to do then bicker with you.", Malik says angrily.

A laugh comes from the other man. "Yes, my friend. Go tend to your gars. I'm sure they need to be in their best condition to be set loose on Camelot." Kayla sends me a horrified look, and I comply as she pulls me away. But it was too late. As we rounded a corner she collides with a man. Tattoos in strange designs covered his arms from his wrists up to his elbows. His black eyes lit up at the sight of us, his mouth curling into a pleased smile.

"Hello Darlings.", he purrs in a soothingly creepy voice. Kayla's grip on my wrist tightens. And we ran.

**Well, that turned out more fillerish than I intended. It kept getting longer and longer so the part I wanted to include will have to wait until the next chapter. Don't hate me too much about the cliffie! I couldn't resist!**


	22. Chapter 22

Only one thing ran through my mind. Terror. With some luck we were able to get away from the tents and into to forest. Once we disappeared into the tree line, we had a better chance. But not much better. Shouts and the sound of horses galloping chased us. And we were on foot. I was thankful for the trousers I had, loving them even more. Running in a dress would have slowed me down.

Kayla wasn't gripping my wrist anymore, but it wasn't very hard to keep up with her when you know what's behind you. My hood got caught on branches and was pulled off my head, taking the pins in my hair with it. My hair fell around my shoulders, getting caught in twigs and such.

A hand seized my hair, whipping me to a painful stop. The Lycanthrope. His face was still set in that cruel smile. This was just a game to him. He was a hunter, and I was his prized prey. On instinct alone my hands found the only thing I could reach to defend myself. One of my daggers, hidden in my boots. I dug the blade into his hand before yanking it back, making him squeal in pain and let go of me.

I didn't take any time to see how he reacted after that. I just ran, faster then I ever had. I could hear his angry howls behind me, but I had slowed him down for now. Kayla called for me to hurry up, the only clearly visible thing about her ahead of me was her bright hair. When I caught up, she pulled behind the trunk of a large tree. She saw the bloody dagger, still gripped in my hand, and took it from me. I didn't ask what she was doing.

A lone searcher came our way soon after on horseback. Kayla crept quietly, positioning herself closer to him. She drew the short blade back to her hear, her face a steely mask of no emotion. Not seconds later, the man dropped from his horse, a dagger peeking out from under his helm. "Remind me not to get on your bad side.", I mutter.

But the man wasn't alone as we'd thought. Out of nowhere, my thigh exploded in pain. I couldn't stop myself as I crumbled to the ground, unable to bear my own weight. I sucked in a sharp breath through my teeth, biting my lip to keep from screaming. An arrow sprouted in the center of the pain, blood dripping slowly from the wound and soaked my pants. Kayla stared at me for a second in horror, shock clear on her pale face. But it only lasted a second for a moment later the man who had shot me was dead as well.

She ran to me as soon as he dropped, pulling me into sitting position. I tasted to coppery taste of blood from my lip as she studied my leg. Without warning she grabbed the shaft of the arrow and yanked it out. I couldn't stop the quiet whimper from escaping my lips as I bawled my hands into fists. She ripped the bottom of her shirt and wrapped it around my thigh, tying it in a tight knot to keep it in place.

"That will have to do for now. Can you walk?", She asks. I grimace and nod. At least we had a horse now. I just had to get to it. she pulls my arm around her shoulders, pulling me up. I put all my weight on my good leg, hobbling toward to horse. As soon as I tried to mount, I knew it was a bad idea. Pain shot through my leg as I tried to use it to propel myself into the saddle. Kayla slowed my fall by catching me under my arms, but I hit the ground none the less. We didn't have time for this. They'd be on us in minutes. And despite what Kayla might think, she wasn't strong enough to lift me up by herself.

I panted with effort, blinking back tears from the pain. "You need to go. You have to keep moving", I told her.

She shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere without you. I promised Arthur I wouldn't let anything happen to you."

"Does that really matter if we both get caught? If at least one of us get's away, the Camelot will have a chance."

"Sarah, no! You're injured. I'm staying."

"If you stay then I'll be injured and you'll be dead. They need me alive, you'd just be dead weight to them. Unimportant.", I rationalize. I couldn't stand it if Kayla got hurt too. Everyone seemed to get hurt because of me.

She scowls. "I can't just leave you here. You can't fight them off with that leg."

Slowly, I pull my sword from my back. "I'm not going down without a fight. Besides, you're the better rider. I'd never stand a chance trying to out-ride anyone. And both of us on one horse would slow us down anyways. It's me they'll follow. I'm more important to them. It's the only way."

I knew from the look on her face that I'd won. There was no sense in her being murdered once we were caught. At the very least she could warn Camelot about the gar attack. "Fight hard.", she says simply, squeezing my hand around the hilt of my sword. Kayla respected my desicion. And she knew I was right. Better one of us gets away then both be caught.

She helps me stand, and props me against a tree before mounting the horse. I manage a weak smile that was meant to be reassuring."You're pretty brave for someone so small.", she jokes. She loved to pick on me for my height, and I was glad she wasn't leaving on a sour note. I wouldn't have been able to stand it. As she gallops of, she stops and turns. "You know what? I take that back. You're probably one of the bravest people I've ever had the pleasure to meet." And with that she was gone.

When the shouts of my pursuers came closer, I didn't feel brave at all. The chances of me getting away were next to nothing. I stumbled into the shadows using my sword as a cane, hiding myself better. The wound sent piercing pain through my body as I tried to put weight on it.

It didn't surprise me when I saw the lycanthrope leading two other men come out of the shadows. He knelt to the ground, looking fierce and angry. His hand had a hastily bandaged where I had stabbed him. He touched his fingers to the ground, covered in blood and lifted them to his nose. His demeanor changed to one of delight. "She's injured. Can't be far now", he says, moving along the ground in a crouch.

I wasn't just going to sit here and wait to be found. The one advantage I did have was surprise. Somehow, I managed to be quiet enough to sneak up behind one of the men. If I wanted to have any chance, I had to get rid of the extras. The adrenaline pumping through me was enough of a pain killer for now, making the wound more of an annoyance. I brought my sword up, hilt down, and slammed it down unto one of their heads. He collapsed, unconscious at my feet. The other doesn't have time to even look surprised when I do the same thing to him.

The Lycanthrope sneered at me, unhappy that I'd disabled his backup. His eyes drifted to my left thigh, grinning at the bloodstained fabric that bound it. "Come to finally give up?" I held the sword up defensively, knowing he was unarmed. He cocked his head to the side, amused. "I thought not."

He lunged at me, going to wrap his arms around my stomach to drag me to the ground. With my leg, I couldn't move out of the way in time. He twists at last second to avoid my blade, grabbing my arm and pulling me to the ground. I land flat on my wound, and am unable to stop myself from screaming this time. I don't notice that I dropped my sword until he was on top of me, pinning my wrists down. His eyes weren't black anymore, I noticed. They hinted a yellow tint, with slit-like pupils. Animal eyes.

"Well, that was easy. Not so tough without your friends, are you?" He slides his uninjured hand into my other boot, pulling out my last dagger. He traced the tip of the blade along my palm. "That _hurt._ Your turn."

He wasn't human. No human feelings what so ever. His expression remained cold and calculating. As if he was thinking of the best ways to make me suffer.

"Stop toying with her, Lucian. I told you she wasn't to be harmed.", demands a lazy sounding voice. He looks frustrated, but rocks back on his heels before standing. As soon as he was off of me, two men grabbed either arm and dragged me to my feet. Meliorn studied me, and didn't look happy. "What happened to your leg?"

I don't answer, or even meet his gaze. So he looks to the Lycanthrope, Lucian I guess, for an answer. Lucian shrugs. "I found her like that. But she still took out Telantes and Singer before either of them saw her coming."

Meliorn looked at me with respect. "Impressive. I see you live up to the stories told about you." His apparent good mood vanishes when he realizes I was the only one they managed to catch. "Where is the other girl?"

Nobody seemed to want to answer him. A smile crept onto my face. By the time they figured out where she went, they didn't have a prayer of catching up. He sent Lucian to track her down along with a few other men, but I knew she would make it to Camelot before they even got close. The men holding me suddenly hoisted me up on Meliorn's horse, placing me in front of him. I tried not to show how badly my thigh was hurting, but it must have been evident on my face. "I'll get you to a healer once we get arrive at the camp."

"I don't want your help.", I snap.

He laughs, wrapping an arm around my waist to keep me steady. I flinched at the touch, which he ignored. "So you do speak. I thought you'd gone mute." I lapse back into an angry silence, which only seemed to amuse him more. This was my sacrifice. I had chosen this. It was me or Camelot, and my life for the hundreds that would die if they weren't warned didn't seem like much of a price. But I hadn't expected Meliorn to act like I was a guest of his. It was unnerving.

When we got to the tent he intended to keep me in, I noticed it was bare. The only things remaining was a small table, chair, and bed. Meliorn laughs at me. "I took the liberty of having anything that could be used as a weapon removed. It's been said that you are quite resourceful." His compliments bothered me. For some reason he thought extremely high of me, that much was clear. I didn't like it. Just having him hovering over me made me nervous.

He had a tub brought in for me so I could bathe. I didn't refuse, seeing how I hadn't had one in days. He left the tent, but I knew he was just outside, waiting for me to finish and so I couldn't get out. I eased myself down onto the chair and took off my boots. All of my weapons were gone. They were the only things that had truly been mine, and now they were gone.

The shirt I was wearing was caked with dirt and was torn in places. Then it was time to do what I dreaded. I untied the cloths that bandaged my wound first, then slowly take off the blood soaked trousers. The cut didn't look that bad to me, not horribly deep anyway. But it would probably be a while before I could walk on it.

I carefully propped my injured leg up on the edge of the tub to keep the cut dry, and lowered the rest of me into the lukewarm water. As quickly as I could, I scrubbed myself clean with a bar of soap that smelled like lemon. Though, people on the war front didn't seem to care about shampoo, so I massaged the bar through my hair as well and tried getting out the tangles in it. When I was finished I went to dress in the clothes Meliorn had left me. I hated accepting anything from him, but it wasn't like I had a choice.

All he had given me was a white shirt made of rough material. The neck had a drawstring through it, helping it to fit a bit better and not slip off of my shoulders. The hem came down to a few inches above my knees.

Without warning, Meliorn barged in. "Don't you knock?"

"Not in my tent. Especially when your wearing my shirt."

I cringed. "It's _your _shirt?"

He shrugs. "There aren't any women in the camp. I sent someone to fetch you something better for tomorrow, but for now it'll have to do."

He strode over to where I sat on the bed, arms crossed over my chest. I didn't have the energy to move away when he sat beside me silently. I swatted his hand away angrily when he picked up a piece of my hair and twirled it around in his fingers. "Don't touch me." He drops it, pretending I hadn't yelled at him.

"I have some things to attend to. I assume that even if you had the nerve to to escape, you wouldn't do it wearing that."

Unfortunately, he was right. It would be downright stupid in a camp full of this many men. The healer came shortly after he left. He rubbed a salve in my wound, making it burn. But as soon as the burn was there, it was replaced by an icy relief. He bandaged me up properly and left me to my thoughts. I was miserable. The only thing keeping me from going completely crazy was knowing Camelot would stand a chance now.

**Well, that was fun :) This chapter practically wrote itself! Thanks again to everyone who has stuck with this story so far or have just started reading! I really appreciate you all! I love getting emails with new favorites, followers, and especially reviews :D**


	23. Chapter 23

Meliorn slept peacefully on the other side of the tent, unaware I was awake. The creep refused to leave me alone, as if I might disappear if he did. Well, at any rate he was half-right.

Whatever that healer had put on my leg, it had worked well. In only a few hours I could limp around on it without too much pain. I knew I wouldn't have many chances to try to get away, so no matter what shape I was in I needed to try. Once they got me to Raul, it would be over. I'd probably be dead soon enough if I didn't escape.

As quietly as I could, I hobbled over to where he was sleeping on a cot. Arrogantly, he had left his weapons still sheathed in his belt. He probably didn't think I would dare trying to get away now. Without a weapon, I wouldn't. But here were several just waiting for me if I could manage to get one. Once I got out, all I needed was a horse. Easy enough.

I carefully gripped a blade, the longest he had on him. It was too short to be a sword, but was also too long for it to be a dagger, roughly the length of my forearm. I pulled it out of its sheath, inch by inch.

I nearly had it out when he grabs my wrist, stopping me. A smile spreads across his face, but his eyes remain closed. He forces my hand to slide it back into his belt before making me let go.

"Nice try, Dove. I was wondering why you were so calm, giving into capture so easily. You've been planning an escape the entire time. Only allowing yourself to be captured so that friend of yours could escape." I glared at him, sitting back down on my own bed. "Nicely thought out too. Would have gotten away with it if I hadn't known you were pretending to sleep. You're a terrible actress." I don't say anything, preferring to continue giving him a nasty look instead. He grins, settling back down into his bed. I don't have a choice but to get some sleep.

The next morning, I was given a dress as promised. It was made of the same deep purple the capes Meliorn and his men wore. It was like a slap in the face to me, and the message couldn't be more clear. I was theirs, and there was nothing I could do about it.

Dread crept into the pit of my stomach as I rode behind Meliorn. There was no way I could get away between my leg and all the men I now had watching me every move. Most of them looked at me with curiosity, others like I was just some prized deer they had managed to catch.

By the time a stone fortress came into view my thigh was throbbing, making the movement of the horse beneath me painful. I realized exactly why Raul was here. I was only guessing, but it's location was roughly located in the middle of Tahara and Camelot. "Like your new home, Dove?", Meliorn asks tauntingly. I couldn't see his face but I knew he was smirking.

We were no longer at a full gallop, going painstakingly slow towards the gates. Each step closer was a step closer to losing my freedom entirely. Once we were inside of the gates, the closed with an audible clang, sealing me behind them. Meliorn jumped to the ground before gripping my waist and pulled me down with him. He tried to catch my eye, but I refused to even look at him. At anyone for that matter. He dragged me inside, shooing away the men that tried to follow.

They hadn't bound or chained me once, but that didn't make me feel any less like a prisoner. Meliorn kept his hand on my arm, half to guiding me through the corridors, half just making sure I don't fall down. "Is something wrong, Dove?", he asks as we stop in front of a huge set of doors.

"Stop calling me that.", I snap harshly. He was getting on my nerves, treating me like a guest or even a friend. This nickname he had given me was the last straw. He looks hurt, his eyes flashing with a bit of anger. But as quickly as the look was there, it was gone. He doesn't say anything, but lets go of my arm to open the doors. Behind them was a hall, much like the one in Tahara but larger. He motions for me to walk through them. I knew who was inside, and I didn't want to get any closer.

Reluctantly, I stepped inside the room. A man stood near the throne with his back to me, wearing a floor length cloak like all the other men here. Even as the door shuts behind me, he doesnt turn. His dark hair gleamed with silver streaks, but that was all I could see of him. Meliorn cleared his throat, demanding attention. Raul turned, his face just as I remember. The only exception being his nose wasn't crooked from when I broke it before.

"Thank you, Alec Meliorn. You may leave now." Meliorn didn't seem happy with this, but I was too scared to notice. Who knew what Raul would do with me. Make me gar food, starve me, or some other kind of tourcher. I turned to watch him leave the room, but only so I didn't have to look at Raul.

I yelped when I suddenly found myself wrapped in Raul's arms, hugging me affectionately. I was too shocked to pull away, not that I could have if I wanted to. My leg didn't exactly allow me to move around quickly. Finally he pulled away and grasped my shoulders, holding me back at arms length. "My dear, Sarah. How I have longed for this day." I stared at him, open mouthed and blinking in surprised. I didn't know what to say or even what to do. "Don't stare, it's rude. Surely your mother taught you as much. Then again, mundies were never much for manners."

I don't drop my gaze. "What do you want?", I manage to sputter out.

He smiles. "Of course, you must be very confused. You have done it, my dear!"

"Done what?"

"Proved yourself!", he says, as if it should be obvious. "You passed my tests. Proved you were worthy to be my grand-daughter. My family. Something no other had been able to do."

That was it. I shoved away from him. "I am _not _your grand-daughter, or anything else."

"But you are. My blood runs through your veins. We are of the same flesh. That is a bond more powerful then any other. Even my magic is within you, passed down through the generations. It was dulled through the magicless world of the mundies, never showing because it does not exist there. Here, I had to suppress it with a mark. Just until now. Now that I know you are worthy of such a gift."

Rage. That was all I felt for this man. He thought just because I passed his little tests, he could claim me as his own. Like I should be thankful he cared enough to try and kill me. He was a nut job. And what was with the whole mundie thing? Is that what he called people from my world? "You had no right to do that! You despicable tyrant! If you think I'll ever want anything to do with you, you're wrong."

I was going to say more, but he slaps me hard across my face. My cheek stung where his hand landed the blow. "You're just like her. Brash, stubborn, so narrow minded. Always quick to say things without thought to the consequence. That can change. You only need to be disciplined." He pulls a blade from his belt. But it wasn't even sharp. It was short, barely eight inches long and had an obvious roundness to the edges. "Do you know what this is?" I shake my head, but recognized the designs etched into the hilt. They were similar to the one on my shoulder. "It's a seraph blade. Used for the art of rune magic, which I'm sure you at least know something about."

He moves towards me with it, grabbing my wrist as I shrink away from him. I remember Gaius telling me the things runes could do. Including inflicting pain. I winced as he traced the blade along the skin of my forearm. It burned, but wasn't an unbrearble pain. When he drew it away, he grabbed a candle from a small table besides the throne. Runes were activated by elements, and my guess was burning this one would set off whatever magic it held.

When the flame touched the black design, it began to fade. My wound started to itch, like a scrape did when it was healing. Within minutes the pain in both my arm and my thigh were gone. All that was left as proof that it ever happened was a faint scar, barely even visible, where the mark on my arm had been. I stared at it in disbelief. The last thing I had expected him to do was heal me.

"You can trust me, Sarah. When I can trust you, I'll remove the rune on your shoulder. Then we can begin your instruction in the old religion.", he tells me.

I set my face in a hard expression, yanking my arm away from his grasp. "You can't bribe my trust. And you can't earn it from me either. You're nothing but a horrible old man with a grudge. I know what you did to your own daughter. And what you did to her child. Your _family._"

"What happened between Julianna and I is none of your business. And I will let you know, I am a patient man. You'll do what I say whether you like it or ."

"You think so? And what is it you think I'll do for you?", I scoff. He wasn't getting anything from me.

He holds up a hand dismissively. "There will be plenty of time for that later. Why don't you get settled into your room. You will not be a prisoner in my home, but I will take precautions to keep you here."

I left the room with another new rune on the back of my hand and an intensified anger. My guess was it would keep me inside the castle. I don't pay any attention to Meliorn, who was waiting right outside the doors for me. I didn't have a clue where I was going, but he corrected me once I went the wrong way. It wasn't until we reach a new set of doors that he actually says anything. "You aren't limping anymore."

I throw the door open. "Aren't you observant."

"You aren't making any friends acting that way, you know."

"What makes you think I want friends here? You people took everything from me. My friends are in Camelot and Tahara."

He shrugs, as if it was a stupid notion. "We were under orders. It was nothing personal against you."

"And that makes it okay? If you were under orders to kill me, or your family, would you do it?"

His jaw tightens, and he leans against the frame of the door. He wasn't willing to answer that. "You may find I am the only friend you may have here. Remember that, my Lady."

I stared. He hadn't addressed me so formally before. Usually he called me 'dove' or 'princess', and both of with were a sort of taught. He left, slamming the door behind him. And for the first time my situation began to sink in. I realized what I did without the walls I used to guard my emotions. I sank to the floor and cried.

* * *

"The girls should have gotten back before us. They should be here.", Gwaine mumbled for the thousandth time since they had arrived in Camelot the previous night. He was right, of course. And they all knew it. But to admit it was to admit something had happened to them, which wasn't something any of them wanted to do. They had all agreed to wait another day before trying to find them. Just in case.

Gwaine of all of them felt the most guilty. If it hadn't been for him, they would have never been separated in the first place.

"I'm sure Sarah and Kayla are fine.", Merlin says hopefully. But if anything, he had only said it to calm down Arthur and Gwaine. Neither had been themselves since they got back only to find they were still missing.

"You do know who you're talking about?", Arthur says, only slightly joking. "Sarah attracts trouble wherever she goes."

"Good point."

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Gwen slipped inside once Arthur nodded in approval. "A lady just arrived and is requesting your presence at the gate, My Lord."

All three of them perked up at this news. "Do you know who she is?", Gwaine asks, his moping forgotten. Gwen shakes her head and led them to where she was told the girl was waiting. Arthur threw open the doors to the hall, suddenly excited. But the girl wasn't Sarah.

She was easily recognizable, even in men's clothes. Her red curls were hopelessly tangled and she looked like she hadn't slept in days. Scrapes and scratches covered her face, as well as several rips in her clothing. Her shoulders were slumped in a defeated fashion, a big contrast to her usual confident manner. "Where is Sarah?", Gwaine blurts out immediately, half expecting a sarcastic remark. He didn't get one.

Kayla looked as if she was about to burst into tears at any moment. "I don't know exactly." Nobody spoke, but everyone was thinking the worst. "She isn't dead. At worst she got captured, but there is a chance she got away.", she amends.

"What _happened?"_, Arther asks, gripping the hilt of his sheathed sword until his knuckles turned white. Kayla wondered for a second if he was aware of it at all.

"An archer hit her while we were running. She knew we wouldn't make it away since he got her in the leg, and stayed behind to distract them while I went ahead."

"And you just _left _her?", Gwaine demands. He couldn't even imagine where she was right now. He missed the determined way she did anything she put her mind to, even with disregard to her own safety. But that was the same reason she wasn't here anymore.

"She didn't really give me a choice. There's more. I have something I need to tell you."

**Sorry this took much longer than usual. I couldn't help but re-write it several times because I wasn't happy with it (You've probably noticed by now I tend to be very picky about what I post). I'm still not, but I felt I needed to get something up. I added in a third person style Camelot chapter to apologize! Merry Christmas everyone!**


	24. Chapter 24

Raul was relentless with insisting he only wanted to help me. He showered me with gifts, even when I locked myself in my room for days. It wasn't until a week after my arrival I started to see what he honestly wanted with me. Someone to do his dirty work. Or at least the was what I guessed. I couldn't be sure. It would make sense if he did. Whatever magic he thought I had could be useful to him. Too bad I'd die before doing a single thing for him.

He had been thrilled to learn I had sword training, no matter how minimal it was. The fine dresses and jewels stopped coming and instead I was getting armor and weapons. Why he would trust me with them, I didn't know. Probably because even if I managed to fight off every man in the fortress, I couldn't leave it. I had tried one night, managing to sneak to the servants entrance without being seen. Not a single one of my fingers could make it past the doorway. It was like the air had solidified beyond the door, trapping me inside. A mirror image of the run on my hand was carved into the wood above the door, as was the same with any exit. It was torcher to be there, the door unlocked, yet I was stuck inside.

Now I was in the courtyard running drills with a man named Raphael. I didn't have much choice to these lessons, not matter how much I protested. Raul seemed bent on making me a perfect assassin or something.

He even made me look the part with my hair slicked back into a tight high pony tail, upper body amor fit for a womans body, and a skirt made of a light, black material. I didn't look anything like myself. The severe hairstyle made my face look more angular. Honestly, I looked like a scarier version of that girl in the _Narnia_ movies. The exception being I'm a terrible archer.

Raphael was a tough instructor. He was old enough to be my father, but that didn't stop him from being a fierce swordsman. His favorite drill had become the one I hated the most. We didn't use swords, and I started on my knees. He gripped my right wrist, pinning that arm behind my back while he tightly held my left shoulder so I couldn't twist away from him. My challenged was to get out of this hold and get him into the position I started in. I hadn't succeeded so far.

The only upside I saw to the lessons where the chance to improve my own skills and keep in shape. I would just never use them to help Raul.

"Do you know the best way to win a sword fight?", Raphael asks me, pressing forward so I would loose ground. I'm too focused on trying to fend him off to answer.  
"Make sure your opponent doesn't have a sword at all.", He finishes with a sneer. He changes his tactics suddenly, striking at me with a series of extremely fast blows that I can hardly block. By the time I realized each of the blows had been continually lower down my blade, he had slammed the flat of his sword painfully against my hand. The sword drops from my grasp, my hand throbbing terribly.

Cursing, I clutch my hand to my stomach, at which he laughed and twirled his blade around in his hand playfully. I had come to the conclusion he just enjoyed kicking my butt repeatedly. I'm dismissed from the lesson after a few more rounds, all of which I lose. At least I came out with minimal bruises today. These matches reminded me harshly of the ones I'd had with Arthur, who had even let me win a few times to save my self esteem. Yet another reason I hated them.

I was headed to my room, yanking off the straps of the armor the protected my forearms when I head my name being called behind me. I rolled my eyes and kept walking, not really caring who it was.

I was surprised by the caller grabbing my arm and yanking me around to look at him. Meliorn of all annoyances. He had ignored me for the most part since I'd gotten here, which was fine by me. I didn't want anything to do with him or anyone else here.

"I was calling after you.", he says, annoyed that I had ignored him.

"I heard.", I scoff and continue walking away. He falls in step beside me, scowling. "Is there a reason you're following me, or are you just trying to be annoying?"

"You're grandfather wishes to speak with you in the hall."

I groan. "He isn't my grandfather." He doesn't say anything, knowing this was not an argument he could get me to move on. "I'll be in my room if he wants to speak with me.", I say before slipping into my room, closing the door behind me before he can say anything.

I change quickly, knowing he would show up soon and probably angry. Or he would just send someone to force me to go to the hall.

Sure enough, the door is thrown open not ten minutes later. He doesn't look angry, only frazzled, but I knew it was only a mask. He was trying to win me over, after all. "My dear, don't you look lovely.", he compliments, regarding my dress. If I could wear anything but the stupid things he gave me, I would. But there wasn't exactly any other option.

I don't speak, standing well away from him with my hands clenched at my side. "It has become clear...", he begins. "That my original plan for your future here is inferior to another. A plan more suitable, I might add."

When I remain silent, he continues, studying my reaction. "As you well know by now, in your absence from Taharah I have been named monarch. But the loyal people revolt against their new leadership, as does the forces of Camelot. They rally under the leadership of Henry and Uther. They will only be loyal to you."

I can't help the smile I get from this news. Even with me gone, there was still hope the people would get a good ruler. Henry would treat them well if he could manage to get the throne back. I had faith he would. I smile also at the memories. My first days here when my biggest concern was avoiding Henry. Looking back, I was glad for him. He had helped me in ways that I hadn't realized at the time. He had made me stronger. And he deserved some happiness after all years of hate he had.

"It is with great sadness I relinquish you from your training, for a greater cause.", he says, as if I had actually wanted to become whatever it was he wanted. But I was confused as to what he wanted now. "I can not trust you personally to take the throne. But there is a way for you to relinquish the power and pacify the people." I really didn't like where this was going.

"I will never give the throne to anyone but Henry. You can't force me to.", I say, the volume of my voice raising almost to a yell.

He smirks at me. "Of course I can. For by Taharan law, if it is seen unfit for a woman to rule, her husband takes the throne. And who would argue a sixteen-year-old girl is unfit? Your husband will obey me. It will be as if I was king, but with the support of the people." I stare at him, mouth hanging open in surprise. I had expected him to try and get me to sign some sort or contract, or publicly approve of him as king. But forcing me to marry? That hadn't even crossed my mind.

"No."

"What?"

"I will not marry. Not to anyone you choose."

He laughs. "You will. Even if you must say the vows with a blade pressed to your throat."

He crosses the room, stopping right in front of me. I look away defiantly. He takes it for cowardness, sliding his hand under my chin and forcing me to look him in the eyes.

"You have yet to asked me the most important question, my dear girl." His facade of a loving grandfather was entirely gone. His eyes were cruel looking. He spoke with a new anger that hadn't been there before. he wasn't trying to win me over anymore. I didn't answer, knowing he'd tell me anyway. He only wished to taught me. To make me see that my will was no longer my own.  
"Whom is your betrothed? Care to guess?"

I didn't. It would probably be a wretched man who was only picked because Raul could keep him under his thumb. And I would rather die then go through with this. "Perhaps I'll just show you then." He grabs my arm, pulling me out of the room. Its all I can do to keep myself from tripping over the hem of my dress.

He pulls me downstairs to the hall, pausing outside the doors the to smile victoriously down at me. He grips the ornate handles slowly, as if to make to moment last longer. He pulls the door open and waits for me to pass him.

**I just finished the last episode of Merlin. Don't mind me. I only cried for like, 20 minutes. So sad that it had to come to an end! Sorry this chapter is a bit shorter than usual. Also, thank you to all my reveiwers, followers, and everyone who favorited this! Without all of you, I wouldn't even be writing this. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas :)**


	25. Chapter 25

I can't say I was surprised to see Meliorn standing there. I was more disgusted then anything. His surprised stare made me want to shrink away and hide. The way he had been treating me made perfect sense now. He had known what Raul had been planning this all along and had tried to win me over.

"No", I say, shaking my head in horror of the idea. "You're insane."

Meliorn goes to speak, but is hushed by Raul shooting him a nasty glare. "Perhaps Sarah only needs some incentive to behave."

Not a moment later, the doors were opened. Soldiers dragged in a man between them, who was barely able to stay on his feet. His head hung shamefully, hiding his face from my view. His clothes were torn and bloodied, but I would recognize the uniform anywhere. He was one of my knights. The men forced him to his knees in front of me, grabbing his hair and yanking his head up to look at me. His eyes were dead, all the life seemingly gone from them. But even with his pale, sunken cheeks, I recognized him. Luca.

I hadn't given him a second thought since I had last seen him before the war. And I felt awful for it.

Recognition courses through his face. "My lady.", he sputters out. One of the soldiers forcefully kick him in the back, sending him sprawling on the ground. I try to go to him, but I'm restrained by yet more men.

"Let him go.", I plead, practically to tears. "He has nothing to do with this."

"I wouldn't say that.", Raul laughs. "He launched a poorly planed attempt for your rescue. I would say anything that endangered your safety here has something to do with this." Luca tries to say something, but is hit in the head with the hilt of a sword, knocking him unconscious. A cry of desperation escapes my lips as I fight against the hands that hold me. "That is something I will never understand. Loyalty such as you have for a meer soldier. It is a weakness you stupid girl! A weakness I _will _exploit if you dare to even raise a finger to disobey me. And not just on this strapping lad. I have plenty more where he came from."

I remember how much I disliked Luca when I had first met him. He had been so quick to tell me what I could and couldn't do. What was expected of me. He had redeemed himself in my eyes the night of the gar attack, first by saving my life. Even the thought of the paralysis it's eyes ensued was enough to make me shudder. Secondly, he allowed me to help in a way that I could. Even if I wasn't much help to begin with.

Seeing him now, beaten and bloodied was terrible. And the only reason he was here was to help me. I still myself, not wanting him to get hurt further. Raul smiles. "That's a good girl. Men, I believe the princess can be released now." They let go of my arms, backing away but tensed in case I needed to be held back again. I clenched my hands to keep them from shaking. Nobody else was supposed to get hurt. "Go.", he demands. "Leave me. We will speak more on the matter later on."

I don't need to be told twice. I flee the room, wanting nothing more than the get as far away as I could. My hardened anger was fading fast, reducing me to tears instead. This was my fault.

Meliorn runs after me, yelling for me to stop. But I had too much of a lead for him to catch me easily. I slip into the first set of doors I find, bolting the door behind me. Meliorn knocks shortly after. "Sarah! Please, I only wish for you to speak with me." When I say nothing he repeats my name.

"Leave me alone for once, Meliorn!", I yell, leaning against the door to steady myself. My hands were still trembling.

He stops pleading with me to open the door, going silent for a moment. "Do you love him?"

His question surprises me. Why would he think that? Something makes me open the door. "_What_?"

"Do you love him? You seemed to care greatly about him." There was something in his eyes. jealously perhaps? Did that even make sense?

"No. But he is a dear friend. I owe him my life."

"I don't understand you", he mutters, changing the subject. "I would have thought you would have to be dragged from the room, kicking and screaming. You tend to be so calm at the strangest times."

I sigh. He had no idea. "Trust me, I'm screaming on the inside. But I'm not stupid enough to put someone I care about in more danger. If being calm was what it took for no further harm to come to him, it is a price I willingly pay."

He studies my face, confused with my answer. "Do you love another?"

"Why would it matter to you? It doesn't matter to anyone what I feel. Not anymore."

He purses his lips. "It was not my idea."

"Then why is it so hard for you to leave me alone?", I press.

"May I show you something?", he asks, answering my question with another question. I give in and follow him, hoping for an explanation. He leads me to the floor where Raul's chambers were. I had never had the nerve to come here, not wanting to see him more than I had to. He stopped in front of a painting. I gasped.

It was a portrait of a woman. Barely older than a girl. She seemed to stare right into your soul with sad eyes. Worst of all, I knew this painting. The last time I had seen it seemed like a lifetime ago. I'd nearly forgotten about it. It was the very same painting that hung in the castle back home. The one my mother thought looked like me. But she was wrong. It wasn't a portrait of me. It was of Julianna. Meliorn was studying my reaction.

"You know her." It wasn't a question. I nod. "She was once pledged to a man of her fathers choosing. It was ment to be a union to please all. The man was a good one, and he would have cared greatly for her. Given her anything she wanted. But she had given her heart another. The other man would have been more than a suitable choice, but it would bring war between her kingdom and the kingdom of the man she was betrothed. She chose her love over her duty, running away to be with him. The kingdoms were thrown into a bloody war. Her father never forgave her betrayal, bestowing a terrible curse on her children and their children as punishment for her crime."

My eyes meet his. He knew where I was from, or at least he implied it. I don't know why that would come as a surprise to me, but so few people knew at all that it did. "Do not make similar choices, Sarah. I could make you happy. I know you do not love me now, but perhaps in time."

"Meliorn, please. Don't go there." My head hurt, trying to make sense of everything. All of this new information and revelations confused me. I almost didn't know what to do with it all.

"Alec. Call me Alec.", he corrects. But I didn't want to call him by his first name. It might encourage him.

"I am not Julianna, but if I was in her position I don't know if I would have acted any differently. She was brave, and did what she believed to be right. Raul terrified her."

He takes my hands in his own, pulling me closer. I resist the urge to pull away, knowing it would only make him angry. "You spent too much time with your friends in Camelot. They clouded your thoughts of him. You must see, I am only trying to help you. Raul may be slightly crazed, but he means well. You are the only family he has left. He just doesn't want to lose you."

"He doesn't have any family left because he pushed them away. Now he thinks he can force me to do whatever he wants. But I will not be a pawn." Meliorn tried to speak but I cut him off. "I won't marry you. And I think you knew that already. Not because I love another as you think, but because I will not consent to tyranny over my people. Raul can do whatever he wishes with me, but I won't do anything he wants willingly."

I yank my hands free of his and silently trudge away. I can feel his eyes boring into my back, but he doesn't follow. I had ment every word I had said. No longer would I just give into his threats. If he was going to press a blade to my throat to try and get me to say the vows, so be it. I wouldn't say them. He wouldn't kill me, I knew as much. He needed me to accomplish rule over Taharah. To use me as a bargaining chip. But he couldn't do this unless I married Meliorn. And I wouldn't.

It was a quick decision, but one I wouldn't regret. I would be in a world of trouble if I was caught, but he wouldn't have leverage to use against me anymore.

Raul had gotten cocky, thinking I wouldn't dare do anything to oppose him. I didn't pass a single guard on the way to the dungeon. I didn't bother strapping on the armor I had been wearing, but I did take a sword and a sheath. Only one man stood watch over the cells, and he was quite obviously drunk. A bottle hung loosely from his hand as he paced unsteadily.

Knowing that being found drunk with missing prisoners would be punishment enough for, I grabbed his bottle from him and brought it hard across his head before he could even turn around to see who had taken it. It shatters and ee slumped to the ground, covered in the foul smelling liquid. My nose scrunches in disgust as I snatched the ring of keys from his belt and a torch from the wall, making quick work of searching the cells.

I found Luca and two other men in a cell farthest from the door. He wasn't unconscious anymore, but was sprawled out on the floor. I vaguely recognized the other too as part of the party that had come to Camelot and accompanied me to Taharah. They weren't as badly beaten as Luca, but still looked pretty rough. Riley and Celso were their names, if I remembered right.

They rose to their feet as soon as they saw me. I didn't waste any time, and started trying to figure out which key fit in the lock. Luca looked up at me with surprise in his eyes. "How did you get down here?"

I rolled my eyes. "Really, Luca. You really must stop underestimating me. I'm not the one sitting in a cell at the moment."

The others pull him to his feet as I manage to find the right key and open the door. I unbuckle the straps that held the sheath and sword to my waist and hand it to Celso, remembering Riley was an archer. Luca protests. "We can't risk it, Sarah. If you're caught helping us escape..."

"Then we won't get caught."

He grimaces, but was outnumbered by Celso, Riley, and I. I knew I wouldn't be able to go with them, thanks to that stupid rune, but I could help them get away.

It was agreed that I would go ahead just in case we met anyone in the halls. I wouldn't be questioned. We made our way to the servants quarters. The very same door I discovered how the rune worked. We didn't come across a single person.

Before leading them to the door, I quickly gathered up some food from the kitchen and bundled it up on a piece of cloth. I give the bundle to Riley and hurried them ahead of me once we reached the door. They stopped when the realized I wasn't following them outside into the dark.

"Sarah?", Luca asks, formalities forgotten.

"Magic keeps me inside. I can't leave."

The three of them look at me with sad eyes. "But that man... I heard what he plans to do with you."

I shrug, trying to look brave. "I'll find a way out. Eventually. I thought you might have a bit more faith in me by now."

He grins. "I suppose I should. We'll be back. With help. I promise."

I shake my head. "No. He plans to attack Camelot after he has Tahara under control. Gather any force you can and head there."

"But.."

"Luca, please. It's more important then I am. I'll figure something out." We hear a door slam shut down the hall. "Go. Before someone sees you. You'll need to put some distance between yourselves and here before they realize you're gone." They all thank me before reluctantly hurrying away.

**Happy new year! Yes, I know I haven't updated much. life has been busy. **

**musicnlyrics- that sucks! I was watching them on YouTube, but then they all got deleted. If you search now, Mirainsweden2 has the last few episodes posted in parts.**

**MyLadyAssassin- That's a good thing! I try to make plot twists a surprise, so at least I surprised someone! :)**

**I-Have-A-Dark-Side & Olivia Holte- Thanks for your reviews! I'm glad you're enjoying it!**


	26. Chapter 26

I spent the rest of the night quite amused. No one told me what was happening, but it wasn't hard to figure out. Bells tolled and men ran about in a frantic state, as if someone was chasing them with a whip. Servants whispered amongst themselves, coming up with tale tales of how the foreign prisoners escaped.

I caught only bits and pieces of the stories, but managed to to figure out the most consistent one. They seemed to think that they managed to slip the keys from the guard as he passed by their cell. It explained why there was no sign of the door being forced open. And since he was drunk, it would have been easy for them to get them without him noticing. They then proceeded to knock his unconscious with own bottle of mead. He hadn't seen his attacker. I could hardly keep from snickering whenever I heard anything about it. My involvement wasn't even in question.

The next morning, I was woken up much earlier than usual. An entire team of maids surrounded my bed, staring at me with excitement. The first thing I noticed, besides them, was all my weapons were missing. All of them, gone. A tub of steaming water sat by the fireplace. Worst of all, one of the maids had a bundle of blue fabric laid daintily across her arm. Women here didn't wear white on their wedding day. They wore blue.

My first instinct was to bolt from the room. To get away as fast as I could. I pushed past the maids and run for the door, not caring that I was only wearing a thin nightgown. Two men stood outside, stopping me. Each held a large scythe. Large, curved, lethal looking blades mounted on staffs. I'd never trained against them before, and even if I had I didn't have a weapon myself. Laughter glinted in their eyes as they pushed me back inside, shutting the doors behind me. Raul wasn't taking any chances with me today. Why was he doing this so soon? Did he figure out it was me who helped Luca and the others out?

They pull me towards the bath, stripping me of the nightgown as we went. One of the women, an older one, dumps a pitcher of warm water over my head. A few of them went to work scrubbing them down with scented soaps and lotion. Others massaged things into my hair, making it softer. None of them seemed to care that I was naked, but I was extremely uncomfortable and self conscious.

Once they had finished, I was dragged out a dried off. I was forced into the dress. The sleeves hung off my shoulders, showing off my neck, and belled out from my elbows. The skirt flowed from my waist in a long train. The bodice was so tight I had a hard time breathing. And the shoes weren't much more comfortable.

Next was my hair. I ignored their idle chit chat as they did it. They asked me questions such as "What do you find most handsome about Alec", or "Has he kissed you yet?". I about vomited at the thought. They all thought I was lucky, and seemed to have no idea I didn't want it. All I had to do was pretend to be compliant and wait until they left. They braided the top half of it into a wreath, wrapping it around my head like a crown. Lastly, they weaved flowers into the braids to finish it off.

After admiring their work for a few minutes, they left the room. I waited until the sound of their footsteps faded away before hurrying to my bed. I shoved my armed under the mattress, hoping it was still there. I grinned when my hand found the hilt of a dagger. I don't know what had possessed me to put it there, but I was glad I had. I slipped it inside my sleeve just as the door opened.

Raul was so smug he practically waltzed into the room. "Don't you look stunning", he says in a mocking tone, circling me to get a better look. I look away from him. He grabs my hand, covering it with both of his own and recites an incantation. My hand tingled. When he released it, I saw the rune was gone. Only a scar was left, and you could barely see it. I stared at him questioningly. "Your wedding will take place in a nearby city. The priest was unable to make it on such short notice. You won't be able to get there with that."

So it was sudden, and not just for me.

I followed him outside, only to find myself surrounded by men. All armed with much better and larger weapons than mine. And they weren't wearing big, uncomfortable dresses. But I had a chance once we were outside the gates, I wouldn't be sticking around.

Meliorn stood holding the reigns of two geldings. His hair was shorter than I've ever seen it. He smiled a bit when he saw me. I only glared. The fastening of my cloak had come undone, and he noticed. He reached over to tie into back into a bow before taking my waist and lifting me into the saddle on my horse. He tried to catch my eye as he slid my feet into place. I couldn't bring myself to look at him.

Sighing, he mounted his own horse. As we moved out of the gates, I thought I might feel something. A weight lifted off of my shoulders or something. But I felt just as trapped as I had before.

Our possession was a solum one. No one spoke, save a few men towards the back. I busied myself by looking at the landscape. It was mostly flat, with snow covered trees as far as you could see.

The road traveled right through a section of forest. The trees curved overhead, creating a canopy of sorts. If I wasn't so preoccupied, I might have noticed how beautiful it was. As I stared off, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. A flash of red fabric. I didn't know a single person who wore that shade of crimson in this place. There could only be one conclusion. I grinned to myself at their timing and good luck. The one time I've managed to get out of the castle, they show up.

I pretend not to have seen it, not wanting to alert their presence. My guess was they were planning a surprise, surrounding our caravan to cut off all escape routes before attacking. I kept myself from laughing. Since when had I become a battle strategist?

But by the time the city came into view, I hadn't seen another sign of them. Maybe I had imagined it. It shouldn't be a surprise if I had. I had wished for it so much I hallucinated about it. I clenched my fists. I had wasted my one chance to escape waiting for a rescue that wouldn't come.

The gates of the city were tall and grand. They would only be closed at night, thankfully. If I had another chance I needed to jump at it.

People bustled through the streets, despite it being so early in the morning. A few stopped to watch us pass by, but others hardly noticed us at all. I realized we were headed towards the center of the city. I sighed in frustration. This was going to be hard.

We entered the gates of a large stone building. It wasn't quite as large castle, but was definitely fortified. At very least, a very rich man lived here. I don't wait to be helped down. I was rushed inside. The man who owned the place was in a frenzy.

"You told me two more weeks!", he shrieks at Raul. "I am not prepared! What will the guests say if they can't make it? It was meant to be the occasion of the year!"

"And that was before we had some... complications.", he replies, choosing his words carefully.

The other man humphs angrily. He was short and stout, as well as quite comical looking. As if all the extreme medieval fashions of the day had thrown up on him. "Well then, you had better hope we can get Father Tomas to come at all. Now if you will excuse me, I have preparations to see to." He leaves, muttering about not being able to have the flowers he had wanted for the ceremony. Too bad for him there wouldn't be a ceremony at all if I had my way.

I was sent to a room until I was to be fetched for the ceremony. I heard the lock click in place behind me. I went straight to the window, seeing if it would be possible to climb out. It wasn't. I was at least three stories up, and there wasn't anything to hold onto. And there was no way I could make it out the front gate.

Meliorn comes into the room shortly after. He just stands in the door, as if waiting for permission to enter. He wasn't getting it. He sighs and closes the door behind him. "It was you, wasn't it?", he asks. I knew he was talking about Luca, Riley, and Celso. I nod, seeing no point in hiding it. "I thought so."

"What do you want?", I snap at him.

"You look beautiful." Oh gosh, not that again. I frowned, tugging on the necklace I was wearing subconsciously. "I know you dislike me, but we can at least try to be friends? Please?"

That was just it. I didn't want to be friends with him. I opened my mouth to answer when a loud crash sounds in the hall, just outside the door. Meliorn motions for me to stay put as he goes to investigate, sword drawn. He returns a moment later, eyes blazing with something I couldn't put my finger on. He seizes my wrist and pulls me out into the hall. A man was lying on the floor, a bloody gash in his chest. You would think I'd be used to the sight by now, but it still made me squeamish. Even if it was an enemy.

I cover my mouth, gagging on the coppery smell of blood as Meliorn pulls me away. I longed for my sword, to feel it nestled on my back once again. I didn't feel safe without it.

And then I realized, someone had to have killed that man. He was one of Raul's. Maybe I hadn't imagined seeing one of Camelot's knights.

We entered a room with a better lock then the one I had been in. He lets go of me to scan the area and lock the door. I noticed something he hadn't yet. A curtain moving in a corner. A head peeped around it. I nearly jumped up and down with happiness. Merlin. He grinned at me with a finger to his lips before going back into hiding. He must have snuck in here when he heard us coming.

"What are you looking at?"

I spun around. Crap. "The drapes are lovely.", I blurt out, saying the first thing that came to mind. I sounded like an idiot.

_The drapes are lovely? Geez, Sarah. You suck at excuses. And lying, _I thought to myself. He gives me a strange look, moving towards Merlin's hiding spot. I had to do something. Who knew what would happen to him if he was caught.

He was about to pull them aside when I did something desperate. I grabbed his shoulders, spinning him around to face me. I climb into his arms, standing on my tip toes to reach his lips. He stumbled back in shock, hesitating a moment before eagerly wrapping his arms tightly around my waist and lifting me up so he didn't have to bend down so much. His sword drops to the floor. One of his hands wanders up my back lightly to wind his fingers into my hair.

I try not to cringe in disgust at myself as I slip my arms around his neck. I wondered why he doesn't question my motives, but I was thankful he doesn't. I slip the dagger out from my sleeve. He notices it and tenses, allowing me to slide back to the floor. But it was too late for him to stop me. I force the blade into his abdomen, in a place he wouldn't die from it if he was tended to quickly. He could still die from blood loss if he wasn't found quickly enough.

His eyes gleam with the hurt of my betrayal as he falls to the floor. "Guess I was wrong, Dove.", he coughs. "You aren't such a terrible actress after all."

Merlin comes out of his hiding place with wide eyes as Meliorn blacks out. He pulls me into a quick hug. "Please don't tell anyone about that.", I mutter.

He grins mischievously. "I happen to be very good at keeping secrets."

I laugh, knowing exactly what he meant. "Well, it isn't so much of a secret as it is embarrassing."

"Oh?", he asks, inviting me to explain further.

"That was my first kiss.", I blushed, not fully believing I had just admitted it to him. Or even said it out loud. He nods understandingly. "Who else is here?", I ask, changing the subject from my embarrassing love life.

"Arthur, Sir Percival, Sir Leon, Kayla, your uncle, and Gwaine." Henry was here? That surprised me.

I didn't have much time to ponder this as we head back outside. He leads me up to the walkways on top of the walls. Arthur was there, hacking through three men easily. He spotted me and smiled, fighting with a renewed strength. They were all dead in seconds. He raced over, taking me in his arms briefly.

"Sarah. Your gown.."

"I'll explain later.", I grimace. He nods, handing me a sword. I happily strap the sheath to my back and hold it firmly in my hand, prepared to fight my way out if I had to.

**MyLadyAssassin- Aw, thank you! That is such a great compliment. My two stories are the first things I've written and let anyone but my teacher read, so I'm glad people actually seem to like them! I basically just used to write for my own enjoyment in a notebook. It was so scary posting the first few chapters, but I was pleasantly surprised with such great feedback. I do try to take any criticism into consideration to make myself improve :) I'm glad someone thought I had improved!**

**Dark-Tigresssssssssss- Thank you! I plan on finishing it eventually. I have no idea where I'll cut it off, though. I even have entire epilogues thought up for several characters. I know my main plot, but I end up just writing a lot of it as I go along... Maybe I'll do a sequel if it gets too long. :)**

**musicnlyrics- You're most welcome! I hope you found them! :)**


	27. Chapter 27

My heart thundered, feeling as if it would beat right out of my chest. This wretched, tight dress wasn't helping me in the slightest. I'd never been in a fight that wasn't for training, unless you counted my feeble attempt against Lucian before I got captured.

I ran alongside Arthur, Merlin behind us, taking on groups of men who challenged our passage. I was sick at what I was doing, but I allowed my feelings towards it to go numb. If they threatened me and my own, I was surely willing to take them down.

I ducked under the arm of a man, his sword missing me by inches. I remembered doing this same maneuver to Arthur a few times, and suppressed a smile. I kicked my opponent in the back his knees, making him land hard on them. He looks at me with a coy expression, like I didn't have the nerve to finish it. He was wrong. He received a quick death, straight to the heart.

As I turned to run ahead, I'm yanked to a stop by my own dress. One of Raul's soldiers grins at me, his foot holding down the train of fabric. I sliced right through the extra fabric in the back of my dress with my blade, severing his hold on me. He frowns, holding his sword up in defense against me. He'd probably seen me training with Raphael and wasn't taking chances with games. Before I can take up my own stance, he coughs up blood, falling to the ground.

Gwaine stands behind him, his blade glistening red with an angry, determined look on his face. He looked nothing like the last time I had seen him. He was no longer pale or limping, or unconscious for that matter. The usual gleeful glint in his eyes returned as his eyes turned to me.

"Gwaine!", I greet him happily. He folds me into his arms, his face buried in my hair. After a long moment he reluctantly pulls away. I punch him in the arm, hard.

"Ow!", he cries. "What was that for?"

"For getting hurt and making me leave you behind! Don't you dare do anything like that ever again!"

His smile returns. "I'll make it a point not to, I promise. Besides, we still have a sparring match to finish." I laugh, having completely forgotten about that.

We don't have anymore time to talk, but I can see Arthur laughing smugly out of the corner of my eye. We hurry along, breaking through the last of the guards that had stayed up on the walls. The rest of our party meets up with us. I notice two of them, my guess being they were Sir Percival and Sir Leon, were holding coils of ropes with hooks secured to their ends. I groan in anticipation of the planned exit route. Was now a bad time to mention I had a terrible fear of heights?

Kayla seems to notice my hesitation and squeezes my hand, offering me a weak smile. I could tell by her timid attitude towards me she still felt guilty about leaving me behind.

The guys secured the hooks to the wall, throwing down the ropes. The walls were at least twenty feet up, and the last thing I wanted to do was climb down a rope off the edge. Sir Leon went first, to make sure it was safe down bellow and catch anyone who fell. Just as he lowered himself over the side, a group of archers burst out the doors onto the walls. They let their arrows loose without hesitation, all aimed towards us.

Kayla seizes my shoulders, roughly pushing me aside. I lost my balance, tripping backwards. My head cracked loudly against the hard stone, masking the pain that went through my arm. Kayla was suddenly on the ground next to me, an arrow sprouting from her chest. An arrow that should have hit me. I was dazed, but I pulled myself over to her, staying low to the ground. Arrows were still flying overhead, but I barely noticed.

"No no no no no no no no.", I mutter, going to pull it out. I needed to stop the bleeding, and to do that I needed to be able to apply pressure to the wound. She stops my hand, shaking her head of wild curls. A tear slips down my cheek. "Don't die on me. Please don't. Not now.", I beg her.

She stares up at me sadly. "I'm so sorry.", she says. She wasn't talking about taking the arrow. She meant for leaving me. I couldn't help it. I sob escaped my lips. I move her around so her head lay cradled in my lap. She clutched my hand with one of her own, the other lifting to my face to wipe the tears away. "Don't cry.", she says. "It was the first time I did something for someone else that didn't have a selfish motive."

"I don't believe that."

"I left you to save my own skin. That wasn't selfish?"

"You left me because I didn't give you a choice.", I say bitterly. She couldn't die. Not now.

"You're bleeding.", she says simply. I looked at my shoulder seeing she was right. An arrow had cut a gash right through the rune on my shoulder. Even now I could see the black in the design fading, but I ignored it. I could worry about it later.

When I turned back to her, she was gone. she went limp in my arms, her hands dropping and her head lolling to the side. Her eyes stared up at me lifelessly. I shut them carefully so she looked like she was merely sleeping.

I stayed that way, sobbing and clutching her to me, completely oblivious to what was happening around me. She couldn't be gone. Kayla, who had always been so much stronger than me. Always quick to cheer me up. Who had saved my life so many times. And now she was gone. That should have been _me_. If she hadn't shoved me out of the way, I would be the one dead right now.

It wasn't until Gwaine put his hand on my shoulder telling me it was time to go, that I saw every single archer was dead or had fled back inside. I numbly got up, laying her head down carefully. I knew we weren't going to be able to take her body, so I did the next best thing. I ripped the flowers from my hair, hastily making a bouquet out of them. I folded them into her hands wordlessly.

I followed him to the side, to upset to care about the drop. He asked me if I was okay, to which I nodded numbly. Percival wrapped a loop of the rope around my waist, Sir Leon doing the same for Gwaine. Probably meant to be a makeshift harness. They lift me on top of the wall, Gwaine wrapping his free arm around my waist. I cling to his neck as they lower us to the ground. Soon after, everyone remaining had made their way down.

Henry patted my shoulder sympathetically, but says nothing. We stay off the main streets, but we still attract too much attention. "You need to ditch the wedding dress", Arthur tells me. "It's drawing too much attention." I couldn't disagree with him. People were staring at me like I was a circus freak show.

"Like a decoy? It could buy us some time.", asks sir Leon. Arthur nods, and they all search for a girl who looked similar enough to me. Every seemed to be too tall, or had the wrong color hair. Finally we spotted someone suitable in the market.

Arthur quickly didn't give her much of an explanation, but bribed her with money to get her to switch dresses with me. She crossed her arms across her chest hautily. "Why would I want to wear that thing? I can't slop my hogs in that."

"Twelve gold pieces then?", Arthur raises the price. "But you have to wear it until sundown."

She considered it. "I suppose I'd wear most anything for twelve pieces. Deal." She pulled me inside her house, shutting the doors behind us and immediately starts stripping. I do the same, but she ends up having to help me out of the dress. I breath in deeply once it's undone, finally able to breath properly.

Her dress was gloriously simple and comfortable. But best of all were her shoes. The warm boots were worn in well, and nicely crafted. I almost felt bad for taking them, but with the money from Arthur she would have enough to buy several pairs over, with money left over. After we finished dressing, she coiled my hair in a knot and pinned it to the nape of my neck as hers had been.

We wasted no time afterwards, taking several turns and random directions to confuse those pursuing us. We see a band of soldiers headed straight for us. Gwaine grabs my hand and pulls me straight into an ally. Everyone takes off in different directions, splitting into pairs. I'm able to keep up more easily without my wedding attire.

When we come out the other side, I barely catch the sight of purple cloaks, coming at us fast, before I'm pulled back. We end up hiding in a doorway. It's a tight fit, and we're forced to hold onto each other to keep from toppling out into view, but it's manageable.

My back is pressed against his chest, his arms wrapped around my like a cage. I can hear his heart beat quicken as they passed, and he held me tighter. Once they pass, he pulls me out of our hiding place. He looked down at me with a mixture of joy and sadness. "Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?", he asks.

"Like you never thought you would see me again."

"Sarah.", he sighs. "Until a few days ago, I didn't."

We wait a minute more before heading off into the streets again. We meet up with everyone else a little ways away from the south gate. A few of Raul's men stood guard. Their eyes went wide at the six of us, mainly recognizing me. They were dead in minutes, overwhelmed and outnumbered by the knights of Camelot.

Horses were waiting for us a little ways off in the woods. I try not to notice the extra one, meant for Kayla. I hold back my tears. I was sick of crying. But the thought of her being gone created a lump in my throat, a pain in my chest that wouldn't go away.

I mounted up, glad to be moving on. To be free and among friends. These people had become my family. And as much as I didn't want to admit it, I thought less and less of home. I also knew this wouldn't be the end of my problems. I wasn't so naive to think Raul would just leave me alone. But I would just have to be ready for him when he came. And he would pay.

_**End of book one.**_

**Yes, I know you're going to hate me for ending it there, but I'll have the sequel up within a few days to continue it. So watch for it if you'd like to know what happens next! I shall be adding in more romance if that works as a bribe :) I haven't thought of a name for it yet, so either add me to your alerts or just watch for my user name. Thank you to all of my readers, especially those who have stuck with me since the beginning. I can't believe the first part is over already, but I'm excited to start the next one!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Hello again!**

**I'm usually against posting authors notes without a chapter to go with it, but I wanted to let you all know the sequel "_My Sweet Camelot" _is now up! Sorry it took longer then I planned, since I got kinda busy, but it's up now :) You should just see the notebook I have with the plot outline. This shall be fun :) I hope you'll continue reading!**


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